


Becoming Human

by CatAlex



Category: Trinity Blood
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 10:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 62,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2344343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatAlex/pseuds/CatAlex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'The first step to becoming a real man is to protect the girl'. Tres begins to take this notion to heart as the trio make their way back to Rome, while Esther tries to find out Tres and Abel's pasts. Tres x Esther.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something of an expansion on the manga. It loosely follows some of its events, starting from around volume two (almost halfway through chapter five), but will branch out into its own thing. It’s multi-chaptered Tresther, because I’m a sucker! Hope people like it!

** Chapter One **

_'The first step to becoming a real man is to protect the girl.’_

Tres’ expression was blank as he processed the child’s words. Was there a procedure to attaining that unquantifiable concept ‘humanity’?

 One potentially fitting definition: The quality of being human; human nature.

 He was not human; he was an android. Though he had some organic parts which needed vitamins to avoid requiring maintenance, he was primarily composed of processors and metal shaped into the form of a man. He softly whirred and clicked, and did not secrete any chemicals that would affect his mental status.

 As for human nature, the closest he believed he conformed to ‘human nature’ was his shape. In terms of human conduct, his nature did not greatly resemble humanity. He used numbers and directives to make his decisions, and there was no deviation from those directives. He could not disobey his programming anymore than a human could reject their DNA.

 Another definition that could possibly fit: The quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence. Emotions were not fully definable. Their concepts were understood, but he had not experienced such things. When someone tells him they were ‘scared’, he could process and understand that their behaviour would be affected in such a condition; that the probability of someone in the state of ‘scared’ running away was greatly increased. Their performance may decline from that emotional state, but could also be increased in parallel with the survival instinct. There were so many calculations that could be made to try and predict human behaviour in various emotional states, but the processing power required was beyond his capabilities. All he could do was react to their behaviour.

 Or not, in this current case. Sister Esther Blanchett appeared to be fascinated by his mechanical nature. She had a habit of watching how he reacted to Abel’s banter, observing his responses. Tres’ reaction to this was to disregard it completely. He recognised it as ‘curiosity’ and understood his being an android was something strange and rare to come across.

 The trials they had undergone to get on this train hadn’t been unusual for an AX member, but for their new charge, it had turned her world upside down. Tres knew she was not an effective addition to their team, and would require tracking in order to preserve her life. She was observant, though, picking up that Tres was sent to make sure Abel was kept in line. Despite some of the Vatican’s concerns about Abel Nightroad, when the going got tough, Abel got even tougher. Tres had been paired up with Abel enough times over the years to know that although Abel could spout a great deal of gibberish Tres didn’t understand, he was one of the best fighters in AX.

 Before the conversation with this boy and the idiom he had learnt from his father could continue, they were interrupted and Tres was on high alert.

 

* * *

The news that they could not go back to Rome on the train was taken hard by Abel and Esther.  Tres was used to Abel’s extreme reactions to information such as this, and disregarded him in favour of observing their new companion’s response.

“Damage report, Sister Esther Blanchett,” he said, approaching her.

She was on her knees, head bowed, and hands pressed to the ground to hold herself upright.

“I lost my luggage and now I have to walk?!” Esther cried out in despair.

Tres said nothing. Her response was similar to Abel’s overdramatic reaction. The two made quite a pair. She had performed quite admirably when confronted with a dangerous opponent in close quarters. She had done what needed to be done, taking initiative and getting the other passengers to a safer location during the fight.

Now the two of them were bemoaning the fact they couldn’t get reimbursed since the fight had caused their train car to explode, incinerating their luggage and receipts. Tres simply used his internal navigation system to track a journey to Rome on foot and started walking it. Eventually, Abel and Esther followed, heads low.

This journey was going to be long, arduous and likely involve a great deal of annoyances, though Tres could not put into words what would constitute ‘annoyances’ for an android. He filed an error report and kept going.

* * *

“Are you really a priest? Can an android be one?” Esther innocently questioned him while they walked. It had been almost a day since they had left the wreckage of the train car behind. Despite his usual pace being far greater than Abel or Esther’s, ensuring their safety took priority as they travelled. Therefore he kept a pace with Esther, the slowest and most vulnerable walker. Abel wandered ahead slightly, eager to scout out a place for them to stay the night, despite being informed there was nothing ahead but road and forest.

Tres considered her question. The clothes he wore meant nothing to him; the religious paraphernalia that came with said clothes was no more than decoration. For what meaning did religion have to an android? ‘Uniform’ and ‘Disguise’ was the only adequate explanations Tres had produced. He had never gone through any official rituals to establish himself as a man of the church, as he was not a man, and was impartial on the notion of god. The common address of Father Tres fit in with his explanation of his disguise – it further extended his credibility as a priest of the Church.

He realised he had considered the matter too long, and Esther was looking at him with an expression he approximated at ‘concern’.

“I am not,” he answered.

Esther appeared to be slightly flustered.

“S-should I call you just Tres, then?” she asked.

“Negative. It could potentially arouse suspicion. It is easier for me to be believed as a human priest, even one in a combat division, than to be known as an android. Moving through countries with as little interference as possible is the optimal condition for the work my masters give me.”

Esther thought for a moment.

“Wait a second… if you’re meant to blend in as a human, then why don’t you talk like a normal human?”

“I talk as I am programmed to talk.”

That killed the conversation dead. Esther stopped asking him questions, her pace slowing while she thought.

After some time, as the sun was beginning to set, the trio had reached an impasse; a choice between the main road and a forest shortcut.

“This forest is the quickest route,” Tres informed the two of them, and Abel seemed excited.

“I wonder if there are bears…” Abel wondered aloud, and Esther baulked.

“W-what?! We can’t go in there! We’ll get lost!”

Tres calculated that Esther’s consternation did not outweigh their need to return to Rome as quickly as possible.

“This is the quickest route,” he reiterated, but Esther shook her head.

“Something’s bound to happen, and we’ll just end up taking even longer than if we’d stuck to the main roads!” she insisted.

“There is no logical basis for your hypothesis,” he pointed out.

Esther frowned, her hands balling into fists.

“Call it a feeling I have. I’m sure one of us is attracting bad luck. We haven’t caught a break since we started travelling together.”

“Your language does not compute. Define ‘a feeling’.”

He faced Esther, who became nervous. She twiddled her hair and bit her lip while thinking, Tres’ unmoving brown eyes locked on her.

“Well… it’s a feeling. I can’t explain it properly!” she paused to think, eventually saying, “You know how we’ve been attacked several times since we’ve been travelling to Rome?”

Tres nodded

“Affirmative.”

“Doesn’t it seem more likely we will get attacked and be exposed in the forest, than if we travel on the road?” she concluded.

“Negative,” Tres answered, causing Esther to stare in utter disbelief.

“What?! Explain it to me then, Mr. Logical Android.”

Tres was impassive to her jibe.

“The forest is a more direct route to Rome compared to the road we have currently been travelling on. The forest is unlikely to be used by many. Attackers will not expect us to go through this forest, nor would it be likely in such a large forest an attacker would be able to locate us. The road is open for ambush. It is easier to observe those who travel by road and plan an attack. This route is less likely to cause trouble,” he calmly explained, and Esther sighed, turning to Abel instead.

“I give up. Father Nightroad, you get that we’re in a Murphy’s Law situation, right?”

Abel heartily nodded.

“Completely, Esther. But he doesn’t understand such notions. This route is quicker though, and I’m generally inclined to follow Tres in these situations. At the end of the day, it could be a useful lesson for him. And it’s not like we’re incapable of protecting ourselves if something crops up.”

Esther finally relaxed. Tres did not understand what Abel meant, nor how he managed to calm Esther down, when Tres’ own speech did nothing to allay her fears, despite being entirely logical.

“Anyway,” Abel continued, “Tres has an impeccable sense of direction.”

“I don’t know…” Esther worried.

“Then you may take the road,” Tres suddenly said, heading into the forest, “Our top priority is to return to Rome as quickly as possible. If you cannot handle such conditions, then we must part ways.”

Esther quickly chased after him, grabbing onto his arm with fear in her eyes.

“No! I’m coming!” she blurted, looking around worriedly.

Tres looked down at her, and Esther immediately let go of his arm, blushing.

“Is Tres always like this, Father Nightroad?!” Esther hurriedly called over to Abel, falling back to walk with him.

Abel grinned.

“Pretty much. He does have those moments that make you begin to wonder, though…”

Tres listened without complete comprehension. How were his actions deviant from his usual behaviour? He reviewed their conversations, analysing every detail.

“…Can he be rash like that?” he suddenly heard Esther whispering.

‘Rash’? Was he capable of ‘rash’?

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Abel replied in a low voice, “I hope to one day get to the route of Tres’ creation, and see what really went on. I know he has organic components, which makes me even more suspicious…”

Abel had questioned his origins based solely on behaviour he had exhibited? Tres did not know what to make of Abel’s words.

“B-but that would be… horrible!” Esther exclaimed, and Tres turned around. She immediately covered her mouth, her eyes wide, while Abel looked at Tres with an expression he could not immediately identify.

“Why are you talking about my behaviour? Was I inappropriate?” Tres questioned. He did not understand their reactions; scanning their expressions presented the words ‘pity’, ‘fear’ ‘guilt’ and ‘concern’ from his database. Why would talking about him cause such emotions to appear on their faces?

Abel’s expression of pity melted into his cheery persona. He approached Tres and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

“You weren’t inappropriate, Tres! We’re just curious about you, is all.”

His friendly demeanour did not satisfy Tres’ analysis of the overall situation.

“I have questions on your behaviours, Father Abel Nightroad and Sister Esther Blanchett.”

Esther seemed to have recovered her composure, but did not look at Tres, though shuffled closer to stand beside Abel.

“I’m sorry, Father Tres,” said Esther, bowing her head.

“I do not comprehend your actions. Was there a cause for apology?”

Tres could feel his processors beginning to overheat from the amount of calculations it was performing to try and understand the situation he was in. The whirring was becoming audible from his body.

 Esther looked at Abel, and Abel nodded.

 “Honesty is the best policy. I think it’s important for Tres to understand interactions like this thoroughly. He may be a state-of-the-art android, but I’ve learnt in my time with him that social interaction is a territory that easily confuses him.”

 “I cannot be confused,” Tres interjected, and Abel raised an eyebrow.

 “How would you classify how you are feeling in this situation? You don’t understand what Esther and I have been talking about. That is confusion, isn’t it?”

 “Confusion is an emotion. I do not comprehend your speech in reference to me.”

 Abel laughed and shook his head.

 “That is confusion, Tres. And our explanations should hopefully clear up said confusion for you. I suppose you would say that our definitions and input will allow your processor capacity to add new data for those situations, thereby allowing your processor to return to normal levels of function?”

 “Affirmative,” Tres replied, and Abel sighed.

 “Yes, I thought as much. Esther, do you care to help clear this situation up? We don’t want him overheating or something.”

 Tres went to calmly explain that the likelihood of this lack of comprehension causing severe enough overheating to affect his performance was one percent at most, but Abel pressed a finger to his lips Tres recognised as the command ‘silence’ and obeyed. He turned his gaze onto Esther, who had gained the courage to finally look at Tres again.

 “It’s considered rude to talk about someone else – especially behind their back,” Esther began to explain, “It’s even worse if the person you’re talking about hears you and begins to ask about what you meant. So, I’m sorry for talking about you like that.”

 She bowed her head again.

 “Your words do not hurt me. I have no feelings with which to hurt. I simply wanted a definition to your words. I am an android. I cannot be ‘rash’. How does having organic components make me ‘suspicious’? And how would such a thing be ‘horrible’? These questions are why I turned around to talk to you.”

 Esther bit her lip, and looked to Abel, who put a hand on her shoulder.

 “It’s only fair I have a share in this talk. You did well to illustrate why we might be a tad embarrassed about being caught talking about Tres. I’ll handle the rest,” he said, looking at Esther with a smile.

 “We should keep walking if we are to make this short cut viable,” Tres interjected, and Abel nodded.

 “Of course. Well, let’s get going.”

 They walking together, Abel and Esther either side of Tres.

 “Tres… we were wondering about your origins. Do you know much?”

 Tres shook his head.

 “I am maintained and follow commands. That is all that matters. Compared to human life, I have not been in operation for very long. Data was lost from my initial start up.”

 He observed Esther’s look of sympathy without understanding.

 “Well, Tres, we were just considering the notion that perhaps you weren’t a true android – that perhaps you were a cyborg and were unaware of your status of possessing more human components than you would as an android. From a human perspective, you see, this would be considered horrific, as for a human to not know their true nature… it would be seen as terrible. A lie,” Abel tried to explain, unsure how to word it all.

 Tres nodded.

 “I believe your explanation is sufficient. Lying is considered a sin by the Church, therefore for a being to unknowingly be forced to live a lie would be an even greater sin for the individual or individuals who lied. The person who lived the lie would be designated ‘victim’. I would be a ‘victim’ in your and Sister Esther Blanchett’s eyes if I were not an android, but something closer to human. The notion of me being a victim would allow for the expression of ‘pity’ displayed by you two to correlate.”

 Esther’s mouth fell open.

 “You really do understand!”

 Tres nodded.

 “Of course; if the explanation is coherent and reasonable, then I can comprehend and incorporate it into my programming. However, it was a waste of discussion; I am an android and nothing more.”

 “What makes you so sure?” Esther blurted, and Tres turned to face her.

 “I can be programmed, overwritten, and I do not have emotions. I fit the definition of ‘android’ and not ‘cyborg’.”

 Esther frowned.

 “Then what about your rash behaviour earlier? You just stomped off into the forest without waiting for me or Abel. It was like… you were sick of arguing with me.”

 Tres shook his head.

 “Negative. I simply decided that if we were to capitalise on using the forest as a shortcut, we needed to move as soon as possible. I analysed the situation and deduced that the probability was high you would follow if I were to leave you,” he calmly reasoned, and Esther looked upset.

 “So you played upon my feelings.”

 “I observed your behaviour patterns and made a reasonable calculation that the mission would proceed with your co-operation.”

 Esther didn’t reply and moved so she walked by Abel’s side. Abel gave her a sympathetic smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

 “Don’t worry about it, Esther; he means no harm. You’re thinking of Tres in human terms, when he insists he has no human feelings. He’s not trying to hurt your feelings – he really is trying to get us back to Rome as quickly as he can.”

 “It is not an insistence; it is fact,” Tres corrected, and Abel nodded.

 “Of course, of course,” he placated, and Tres missed the lack of sincerity.

 They walked on in silence for almost an hour, when Tres abruptly stopped.

 “Error. A magnetic field is interrupting my navigational abilities.”

 Esther looked around, and her eyes widened.

 “What?! W-wait a minute… I knew it! We’ve been here before!” Esther cried.

 Abel looked panicked and grabbed Tres’ shoulders, lightly shaking them.

 “You were supposed to direct us through the forest! This was supposed to be a shortcut!”

 “A machine is not infallible.”

 Abel sighed and let Tres go in favour of collapsing on the mossy forest floor.

 “I’m so hungry…” he mumbled, curling up.

 Esther fell to her knees.

 “I told you I had a feeling this would go wrong, but nooo… that’s not logical.” Tears welled in her eyes.

 “I don’t want to die in a horrible scary forest like this!” she wailed, and Tres could detect the stress in her voice levels.

 The words of the boy on the train suddenly came to the forefront of Tres’ mind. From where he stood, Esther looked so small and vulnerable on her knees in the forest.

 He approached her and squatted so he was level with her.

 “It will be fine, Sister Esther Blanchett. I will protect you,” he told her, and Esther wiped her eyes.

 “W-what?” she mumbled, blinking at him.

 “I will protect you, Sister Esther Blanchett. You will not die in this forest.”

 Tres could not describe Esther’s gaze on him. The closest he could approximate was ‘considering’. What she was considering, Tres did not know.

 “Tres is right; of course we won’t die in this forest! All we have to do is wait until the sun comes up. Then we should be able to see better and find a way out. It’ll be just fine!” Abel said, brightening. He sat up and began gathering firewood. Tres assisted and eventually they had a decent fire going. Abel and Esther sat around it while Tres stood.

 “How can you be so calm?!” said Esther, staring at Abel. He merely shrugged.

 “This kind of thing is rather common for me. When you mentioned someone with bad luck, I’m afraid I must say I thought of myself. Not so long ago I got myself almost frozen alive in some snowy mountains!”

 Esther blinked.

 “Are you serious?”

 Abel gave her a helpless smile.

 “Like I said, bad luck. I’m a magnet for trouble. I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”

 Esther shook her head, raising her hands.

 “No, no – it wasn’t like I was dragged in here. I came of my own free will.”

 Esther suddenly looked around.

 “Where did Tres go?”

 Abel smiled.

 “Patrol, of course! He won’t rest until the place is secure to his standards, which, given our current situation, isn’t likely.”

 Esther was just about to ask if Tres needed to rest, being inhuman and all, when she felt something curl around her ankle.

 “What?” she said, looking down, but her head was pulled back by something that felt like smooth rope. She choked, but pushed against whatever was restraining her and managed to see vines curled around her body.

 She would have screamed, if she wasn’t being strangled.

 “Esther!” Abel shouted, leaping to his feet. Before he could take a step towards her, Esther heard the eerily calm voice of Tres say, “Don’t move, Sister Esther Blanchett,” before a volley of bullets broke her free. What she didn’t realise was that she was a good twenty feet in the air and shrieked as she fell, then cried out when she hit something hard covered in metal and cloth.

 She winced, and then began to panic when she felt a hand grip her waist to stop her sliding anywhere. Her hand grabbed the nearest thing for purchase, which turned out to be Tres’ mop of hair.

 “Tres!” she exclaimed.

 He held her securely, his gun still smoking.

 “Damage report, Sister Esther Blanchett.”

 She said nothing, but her wobbling precariously on him without screaming in pain appeared to satisfy Tres’ inquiry, and he turned to Abel instead.

 “A Methuselah with the ability to control plants – a category F target: a ‘dryad’,” Tres said, carefully putting Esther down. Esther let her hand slide through his hair; it felt slightly rough to the touch – not like human hair at all.

 “I detected another presence besides us one hundred and seventy two seconds ago,” Tres continued, holding on to Esther’s waist while lowering her. Esther could feel her face growing hot, but remained silent.

 “A Methuselah, hmm…” said Abel, looking around.

 “Affirmative. But I cannot detect a body.”

 Abel frowned and Esther looked confused.

 “What? That can’t be right…” Abel muttered.

 Esther shifted nervously from foot to foot; unsure what to do or where to stand.

 “Did you just hear that?” Abel suddenly said, spinning around.

 Esther bit her lip and followed Abel’s gaze.

 “You heard something? I can’t hear anything, Father Nightroad,” she said, getting worried. This was becoming too strange for her. Tres seemed to be scanning his surroundings.

 “It was the sound of a bell…” Abel faintly answered Esther.

 “My auditory sensors do not detect anything,” Tres confirmed, and Esther could feel the trickle of fear at Tres’ words seep down her spine.

 It grew worse when both she and Tres picked up on the fact Abel was looking at something they couldn’t see, and listening to something they could not hear. It made Esther shuffle over to Tres.

 Vines shifted, then attacked, and Esther suddenly found herself in the air again, yanked by the back of her clothes by Tres. They landed roughly; Tres on his feet, and Esther in a heap. Esther’s legs trembled, and she felt partly strangled by Tres’ iron grip on her.

 “Father Nightroad, what are you communicating with?” Tres demanded, readying his gun. Abel was at Tres’ back, the two of them ready for action.

  _‘And what can I do? Nothing? Be dragged around by the scruff of the neck by some robot who sometimes get rash,’_ Esther thought morosely to herself.

 “I don’t know, but I don’t think she’s human… or a Methuselah,” said Abel, trying to peer into the gloom of the forest.

 Tres’ grip tightened on Esther’s clothes, as if readying to drag her again.

 “What?”

 Abel shrugged and gave a wan smile.

 “Perhaps she’s from a fairytale?”

 Esther struggled to gain a purchase with her unsteady legs.

 “I do not understand,” Tres replied.

 “W-what do you mean, F-father Nightroad?” Esther asked, half strangled.

 “I don’t know how to explain it…” Abel said with a shrug.

 “I do not understand,” Tres repeated, and readied his gun, “but if it is an enemy, I will destroy it.”

 Esther could feel the vibration of Tres’ body whirring from some inner process through the leg she was leaning against, but it was quickly masked by the violent juddering of Tres firing. He let her go and she slumped, unsure what to do.

 “Lord have mercy,” Abel murmured before shooting, “Amen!”

 The vines came back to life and Abel grimaced.

 “No!” Abel cried, “She isn’t dead!”

 The vines twisted and aimed, shooting towards Esther. All she could do was gape; her thoughts and body were frozen.

 In a flash, they had stopped moving, and Esther could feel a warm fluid splattered across her face. She blinked and realised Tres was in front of her, his arm outstretched to stop the vines. The one that would have killed her had gone clear through his arm. He didn’t seemed particularly affected by this.

 “F-Father Tres…” she whispered, staring.

 “Sister Esther Blanchett,” he responded, twisting his arm so the vine snapped off. He pulled the remains out, “We should retreat and get you to safety. I will join you shortly, Father Nightroad, though my optical output cannot detect the target.”

 Abel nodded.

 “It’s starting to move, so I’ll follow it,” he said, and left.

 Tres quickly scooped Esther up and began to move disturbingly fast. Esther put her arms around his neck and gripped tight.

 “Tres… shouldn’t we just follow him?”

 “Father Tres,” Tres corrected, and Esther pulled a face.

 “Can’t I just shorten it to Tres when there’s no-one around who we’re trying to fool into thinking you’re a priest? Abel calls you Tres all the time.”

 “Very well, Sister Esther Blanchett.”

 Esther pulled another face.

 “And can you stop calling me Sister Esther Blanchett all the time? Just call me Esther, okay?”

 “Affirmative, Esther. And if I were to follow him, you would be in potential danger from the target.”

 “But if you put me somewhere too far away, what if something else gets me?” she countered, and looked pleadingly into his eyes, despite knowing emotions had no effect on him, “Please don’t leave me by myself. Can’t you just put me somewhere nearby, so I can at least still see the two of you?”

 Tres looked at her for a moment and came to a halt.

 “If you believe your safety is greatest with Father Nightroad and myself, then I will acquiesce to your wishes,” he eventually decided and Esther sighed in relief and hugged him as best as she could in his arms.

 “Thank you, Tres,” she mumbled into his neck, and Tres turned around and began tracking down Abel.

 He quickly arrived at a large tree that appeared to be the source of the vines, found a nearby bush and put Esther down.

 “I said I will protect you. If something happens, alert either myself or Father Nightroad,” he told her. Before he could stand, Esther opened her mouth.

 “I-is that blood, Tres?” She delicately touching his pierced arm. It had been bothering her ever since it had splattered on her face.

 “Negative, Esther. It is a synthetic fluid designed to keep my joints moving smoothly,” he told her and stood.

 “I must go and assist Father Nightroad.”

 Esther faintly nodded. As he walked away, she nervously wiped some of the ‘synthetic fluid’ off her face and carefully tasted some.

 It tasted disturbingly like a mixture of oil and blood. She pulled a face and spat it out.

  _‘What are you, Tres?’_

She peered out of her bush to see the large tree with vines entangling themselves around Abel. He was whipped out of sight. Esther gasped, squeezing her eyes shut, but the booming noise of gunfire quickly made her open them again.

 Tres stood, guns smoking.

 “Zero point five eight seconds too slow,” he stated.

 In combat, he resembled a killing machine. A mindless doll following orders. Esther didn’t know what to think about Tres Iqus at all. Was he helping a friend? Following directives? Or both? Wasn’t their marching orders to get back to Rome as quick as humanly possible – something Tres had been adamant they would do? Yet here they were, fighting something they didn’t even know what it was. _Logic_ would dictate they run. But here they were.

 And Esther felt useless sitting there while this man and machine fought; Tres spinning and shooting so agilely, you’d never guess he weighed over four hundred pounds and had a damaged arm.

  _‘I wonder if he’s all right…? But what could I do if he wasn’t?’_

 Her eyes widened. The vines wound around one gun and jerked it out of his hand. Esther didn’t know what to do. Her legs shifted as if to get up, but her body didn’t follow the same idea and remained motionless. The vines wound around Tres’ body, tightening on him and winding into the barrel of his other gun.

  _‘I have to do something – anything!’_ she decided, and leapt up.

 Shakily, she reached for her own gun. She had hoped she’d never have to use it, since she’d had no practice, but she had to try and save him.

 She fired off the entire round; trying her best to hit the vines. Once she’d run out of bullets, she dropped the gun.

 “Are you okay, Tres?!” she called, shivering.

 He was free of vines, and was back on his feet.

 “You hit me,” he stated, pointing to his smoking side.

 She bit her lip, taking a few steps towards him.

 “A-are you hurt, Tres?” she exclaimed, and Tres approached her, his face expressionless.

 “Negative,” he said, his hand stretching out. For a heartbeat, Esther thought he was going to brush her cheek. To her horror, his hand fell on a hinge to reveal some sort of gun barrel in his arm.

 “I am not human,” he told her, and gripped her waist and pulled her behind him to shield her from the blast he fired off; “I am a machine.”

 He let her go and moved forward, while Esther stood in shock.

 “What are you doing, Esther?” he asked, turning to look at her. She gaped.

 “I-I… what?” she mumbled.

 “Resume your attack and cover me,” he instructed.

 “Uh… oh, yes! Y-yes, Sir!” she babbled and found where she’d dropped her gun. She reloaded as quickly as an amateur could and followed Tres.

  _‘I’m following some battle machine without question. Something that insists it isn’t human, but yet… I can’t help but think and treat him like a ‘him’. I don’t understand, but… I want to protect him, as he has me.’_

Esther fumbled with her gun, and felt a stab of memory. Dietrich, standing, smiling, even as he whispered betrayals and twisted sweet nothings in her ear.

  _‘Dietrich… I’m going to Rome. I don’t know what to think of you… did you really betray me?’_ she set her jaw, _‘I will fight to find out about everything.’_

 Esther caught up to Tres, and began to do her best to protect him. The vines came thick and fast, and she kept up as best she could, but her hands quivered, and Tres managed to get most of the vines gunning for them. But there came a point where the fear and adrenalin got the best of her and she fell to her knees, panting.

 “I can’t… go on anymore…” she said, struggling for breath. Her hands felt too hot from the gun.

 It was only then she noticed how quiet it had become.

 “That won’t be necessary, Esther. The target is silent.”

 Esther could hear his machinery groaning from under his clothes. It sounded completely bizarre, like the worst stomach grumble ever.

 “Really?” Esther blinked, looking around. The vines were still. It didn’t mean she wanted to go anywhere near them, no matter what Tres said.

 “However, I suggest you go to target practice when we reach Rome. You are a liability with eight to fifteen percent accuracy. You could accidentally injure allies.”

 Her face fell. She watched him stomp over to a bush and begin rummaging in it, to her confusion.

 “However,” he straightened and threw something at her. She raised her hands to protect her face, but the thing he threw landed neatly in her lap. Esther looked down to find her hood.

 “That doesn’t compromise the value of your initial attack. You helped change the outcome of the battle to one favourable to us.”

 Esther smiled.

  _‘He praised me…’_

 “Thank you, Tres. Do… do you think you might be able to help me with my shooting sometimes?” she nervously asked, and Tres focused on her.

 “If there are no other duties for me to perform, I may allot some time to improving your fighting abilities.”

 She beamed and stood up.

 “Thanks!”

 Before anything more could be said, a voice called out, “There’s still much to be done, Esther!”

 “Father Nightroad!” she cried, spinning around. He emerged from the forest, his clothes torn to reveal part of his torso. She drew closer to get a better look at him. There seemed to barely be a scratch she could see, which made her wonder how he pulled off avoiding any damage from the vines.

 “Sewing!” Abel announced, distracting Esther’s thoughts, and grinned, “Also, I found a way out of the forest. Pretty neat, huh?”

 He was in his cheery mode again. Esther still speculated which Abel was the genuine article, or whether perhaps both could co-exist within him. She really did have two mystery men on her hands… well, one mystery man and a mystery machine.

 Tres drew up behind Esther.

 “What is the status of the target?”

 Abel’s smile faltered.

 “Vanished… just like a fairytale…” he murmured, “Just like snow.”

 His legs buckled and he fell. Esther dashed towards him, only just managing to stop his face smacking to the ground. She gripped his shoulders tight to support him. He weighed more than she expected. It didn’t help he’d gone limp from exhaustion.

 “Father!”

 “Where is your injury?” Tres enquired, leaning in to get better look at Abel.

 Esther shuddered suddenly. She felt like cold hands had touched her all over. She pushed it aside and lightly patted Abel.

 “It’s okay,” she said soothingly, “You can stay like this until you recover.”

 “Esther?” Abel asked, and Esther was surprised he was even awake.

 “Yes?”

 He leaned back and grinned widely.

 “You’re like my _manager_!”

 Esther rolled her eyes and stood up, letting Abel go. Abel was either strangely morose or extremely jovial. It made her uneasy. Right then, she had little tolerance for his antics. Tres also appeared to not wish to stand Abel’s behaviour and turned around, beginning to head into the forest again.

 “I’m going on ahead,” Tres monotonously said, stomping off.

 Esther quickly threw a small package and chased after Tres.

 “There’s a needle and thread for you, Father!” she called back. 

She didn’t hear Abel’s panicked reply.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter Two **

 Their progress back to Rome was slow. Esther believed the term was being ‘beset on all sides’ – someone managed to have a problem with them every alternating step they took.

 They seemed to be on a quiet patch of their journey, though, as they cut through some fields to another road. Esther felt upbeat; the sun was out, there was a light breeze to make sure they didn’t get too hot, and no-one was trying to kill them.

 Tres walked on ahead, Esther was in the middle of their spread out procession, and Abel drew up the rear. He was apparently extremely hungry, despite getting the largest portions at mealtimes. Esther generally got charmed by his puppy-dog eyes he’d get when his plate was bare. The man was a bottomless pit when it came to food.

 Esther watched Tres walking along ahead; back straight, practically marching. She felt like trying to chat with him again. She hadn’t forgotten his praise, or his confounding lack of interest in his origins. She almost felt like she had to be curious on his behalf, to add him to own list of questions.

 And Esther was brimming with questions.

 She caught up with Tres, who briefly turned to look at her.

 “Can I ask you some questions, Tres?” she began, and Tres kept walking.

 “You may.”

 Esther started to feel trepidation. The last conversation hadn’t gone that well, but she couldn’t stop her curiosity.

 “Why were you designed to look like that? Your build, height, the face whoever built you chose. Eye, skin, hair colour – why are you like you are? Don’t you ever wonder?”

 “I cannot ‘wonder’.”

 Esther frowned.

 “You can! Surely you can reflect on your existence?”

 “There is no requirement to reflect on my existence. I function within safe parameters. That is all that matters.”

 His monotonous voice was beginning to upset her. Not even good weather could combat a conversation with Tres Iqus.

 “But the Vatican have robots who are man-shaped, but are clearly just robots – those creepy looking things with the machine guns for hands in the newspapers. So why make you look so human?”

 “I do not know.”

 Talking to Tres proved too frustrating for words.

 “But you have no desire to ask, or find out,” she said flatly.

 “Affirmative.”

 “Ugh!” Esther threw up her hands, turned on her heel and decided she was better off helping Abel.

 When night fell, they once again weren’t near a town or village, and so were camping out for the night. Abel and Esther sat around their cobbled together fire while Tres did a patrol.

 “I don’t know why he bothers – there’s not a soul out there,” she huffed, and Abel smiled.

 “I think it’s a force of habit. He’ll be back in a bit, though, and maintain a position here for the night,” Abel explained.

 “Have you two known each other a long time?” Esther asked, and Abel shrugged.

 “It depends on if you think five years is a long time. I think we’re paired up together to try and keep one another in check.”

 Esther’s brow crinkled.

 “Tres isn’t always in check?” Her curiosity was once more piqued.

 Abel pulled a face that suggested he wasn’t sure how to answer.

 “Well… he’s been known to exert more extreme force than necessary, but I’m not sure if the Vatican programmed that into him, or he simply feels it’s a necessary action to carry out his objective. And there have been a few times he’s blatantly lied to me to protect those he deems innocent. Yes, I think there’s a lot to Tres that concerns me…”

 Esther gaped.

 “He’s defied his orders before? And the Vatican know about it?” she whispered, looking around as if expecting Tres to turn up any second.

 Abel solemnly nodded.

 “Oh, they know all right. But they’ve never disciplined him in any manner that I’m aware of. Either it’s a flaw in his technology, or something much, much worse.”

 Esther bit her lip.

 “You really don’t think he’s an android, do you?” she said quietly.

 “I don’t. But trying to find evidence on the matter, short of prying Tres open to find the human remains and possibly endanger him, is impossible. Any records like that in the Vatican would be kept under lock and key, and the science division he was shipped from is in Albion and heavily guarded. The man who created him rebelled and was killed, so there are only records left. Everyone connected to him is dead,” Abel explained in a low voice, also apparently conscious of Tres coming back.

 Esther felt her stomach sink.

 “So you’ve looked into this before…”

 “Yes. The first time he directly disobeyed his orders in front of me. I became suspicious and poked about a bit. Of course, I couldn’t exactly head over to Albion to see if there was evidence there, so all my knowledge comes from Tres himself, or records I could view. Which weren’t many.”

 Esther sighed and flopped back onto the ground.

 “It’s like an itch. I have to scratch; I have to know. My life has been tipped up and I’m left with all these questions without answers. I feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life.”

 Abel shook her head.

 “A few mysteries doesn’t mean you’ve been lied to, Esther. It may simply mean there are some things you’re unaware of. I’m sure you’ll find the truth you seek in good time. There’s no point getting worked up about it when we don’t exactly have the resources to unravel these mysteries in an empty field,” he said, cheering up and motioning to the blackness that surrounded them.

 Esther felt a little better and sat up again.

 “You’re right, Father Nightroad!”

 “Please call me Abel, Esther. I noticed you got Tres calling you by your first name.”

 Esther suddenly felt like she was being called out, and could feel her face heating up.

 “It was getting really irritating to hear my full name said every time he addressed me,” she explained and Abel nodded.

 “It does wear you down after a while,” he agreed and they shared a smile.

 “Area clear,” a voice announced, and Abel and Esther both jumped.

 “Good Lord!” Abel cried, and Esther screamed.

 “I-I didn’t realise you could be s-so quiet!” Esther managed to exclaim, heart pounding, and Tres joined them around the fire.

 “The ability to sneak up on the enemy is a key tactic.”

 Abel let go of where he was clutching his chest and straightened his glasses with a chuckle.

 “You would think I’d get used to that after five years, but it’s still just as scary at the first time…”

 Esther managed a small titter, but was still clearly rattled. Tres took a nearby position, weapons at the ready.

 “Well, it looks like it’s time to turn in for the night, don’t you think, Esther?”

 Esther hopped up and grabbed the two blankets they had, handing one to Abel.

 “I think so. Goodnight, Fath- Abel.”

 Abel gave her a warm smile.

 “Goodnight, Esther. And goodnight, Tres!” he said, giving Tres a little wave.

 Tres gave them a cursory glance.

 “Affirmative.”

 Abel and Esther groaned.

 “Has this been going on for five years?” asked Esther and Abel shook his head.

 “No – _this_ has been going on for five years,” said Abel, turning back to Tres.

 “Tres, I don’t want to sleep without you wishing me goodnight,” Abel whined and Tres looked over at Abel.

 “Go to sleep, Father Nightroad.”

 Abel pouted and pulled his blanket around him.

 “He’s a stubborn one. I think he enjoys my pain,” Abel theatrically whispered to Esther.

 Esther laughed, huddling under her blanket.

 “Well, he has the two of us to deal with, now!” she declared.

 “God help him.” Abel smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter Three **

They had finally made it to a city. Not a nice city by any means, but a city nonetheless. There were actual people and everything.

Abel gave Esther a playful nudge.

“We’ve nearly made it to Rome, Esther,” he said with a warm smile.

“Nearly? Negative,” Tres intervened, making Esther jump, “Due to your pace and behaviour en route, I cannot even estimate how many hundreds of hours it will take to reach Rome.”

Esther and Abel visibly cringed.

_'Could he get any blunter?’_ Esther lamented.

 She was just going to snap at him, when she actually looked around the city they were wandering into. ‘Subversive’ and ‘criminal elements’ popped into her head and she automatically gravitated to Tres’ side, while Abel ventured forward, undeterred.

“Uh… this town seems pretty prosperous but…” Abel said, peering down the dark streets he passed, “doesn’t there seem to be a lot shady people around? Maybe it’s because it’s night?”

He leaned closer to Tres and Esther, pulling an overdramatic face, whispering, “They look like drug dealers.”

“Affirmative,” Tres practically boomed, “This town should be relatively well maintained. It must have become this way very recently.”

Esther briefly bit her lip, staring back at the path they’d been walking, seeing the street stretching out before her lined with shifty citizens.

“This happened suddenly…?” she murmured, baffled at how an entire city could take such a nosedive. Then she caught sight of a woman hanging off of Abel, running her hands across his shoulders with a painted smile.

“HEY! What are you doing, Father?!” she exclaimed, appalled.

Abel immediately pulled away, the woman pouting and sinking into the darkness. He spun around, waving his hands.

“I’m sorry, she just sprung upon me!” he protested before quickly turning away, “Anyway, this place looks a little too… unwelcoming for outdoor camping.”

He gave a weak chuckle and Esther frowned. She just didn’t understand him at all.Despite how irritating Tres could be, at least he was consistent, so she knew what to expect, though she got her hopes up every time she held a conversation with him. Abel was all over the place, and it confused her.

“There’s an inn up ahead,” Abel interrupted her thoughts, pointing; “We should find a safe place up ahead.”

He spun around to face Tres and Esther with a bright smile and tears in his eyes.

“And I’m starving! I want to sleep in a comfy bed, too!”

Esther could feel her face drooping. So he was playing the fool again. And yet… there was something charming about him that prevented her from getting genuinely mad at him. She shook her head as he danced off ahead singing about food. She believed him when he’d told her he’d stay by her side when they’d first met.

Tres turned to look at Esther, his expression as implacable as usual. Somehow, Esther found this comforting.

“He has a point,” Tres rumbled as they walked, “Esther, you should rest and restore your strength as well.”

Someone was thinking about her, even if he was an android. Unbidden, but welcomed, she found herself smiling.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

Tres nodded and they continued on. At least, Esther would have if she hadn’t caught sight of a familiar figure from out of the corner of her eye. Her head immediately snapped to where a distinctly Dietrich looking form had been, her eyes wide and mouth open.

She swore she’d saw Dietrich smirk and walk off. Panic gripped her. Fight of flight? Chase him or run away? She swallowed. Surprisingly the answer came to her easily and she dashed off after him, determined to get some answers, personal safety be damned.

Meanwhile, Abel heard the familiar clunk of Tres’ footsteps speeding up to reach him.

“Father Nightroad, I just received a message,” said Tres, and Abel turned on his heel to stare at Tres, eyebrow cocked.

“A message? What did it say?”

“One of our colleges has arrived here in this city,” said Tres, pausing and looking around.

Abel’s eyes widened slightly.

“One of AX is here? On what mission? And who could it be…?” he wondered, but stopped asking questions when he noticing Tres looking around.

“We have a problem, Father Nightroad.”

Abel rubbed his chin.

“We do?”

Tres nodded, halting.

“We have lost Esther,” he announced and Abel’s mouth dropped open.

“Wha--?!” He spun around. She was nowhere in sight.

“No way! S-She really has vanished!” he shouted, panic gripping him, “ESTHER?!”

Tres closed his eyes at Abel’s antics and began to review the last few minutes to detect where he’d last seen her.

* * *

Esther drew to a halt, exhausted. She’d run as fast as she could, but it was like chasing a phantom.

“This is useless,” she panted, “I lost track of him…”

_‘Was it even him in the first place?’_ she wondered, using a hand against a cool wall to support her while she caught her breath.

She didn’t have the heart to frown or cry, despite her frustration.

_‘There’s no guarantee I’ll meet him again even once I get to Rome…’_

She finally regained her breath and leant against the nearby wall, arms folded in thought.

_‘Dietrich… why did you do those things?’_

The memory of him whispering the password to deactivate the Star of Sorrow sent a shiver down her spine. His warm breath caressing her neck…

Esther couldn’t deny she felt a pull of attraction to Dietrich, which certainly fuelled her desire to find out who Dietrich really was. Just as the reason she had joined Abel and Tres was influenced by the feelings she got when she got a little too close to Abel and his ridiculously kind nature. The plain confusion over a machine that looked like man and apparently behaved not like a machine at times didn’t hurt her reasons for following the pair either.

“Hey lookie here! We got a nun!”

Esther was startled out of her thoughts by a group of leering men approaching. Her stomach turned in horror as they pressed in closer.

“You one of those dress-up whores?”

“I like ‘em young…” one said, reaching out to caress her cheek, but she jerked her head away.

“Let’s have some fun, huh?”

In a burst of adrenalin, Esther drew her fist back and punched one square in the face. Her hand trembled from the pain of bone on bone, but her mind was on more immediate problems. Before they had a chance to jump her, she began running. She got a little way away before her uncoordinated run came to a halt, as she managed to trip. Her scream was cut short, though, when she plunged face first into what she thought was wall, but turned out to be a well muscled chest covered by a leather jacket.

“You alright, Senorita?” the person belonging to the chest asked.

Esther looked up to be confronted with a grinning man with a cigarette stuck in his mouth and wild dark hair. His eyes were obscured by a pair of sunglasses. Suddenly confronting that gang didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Before she could turn around and try punching another of the group, she was swept up off her feet by the leather jacket clad man.

“Come on, girlie,” the man rumbled while Esther tried to kick herself free, “you should know what happens when you wander around in a place like this.”

_‘Oh my good lord, am I going to… g-going t-to…’_ but Esther simply couldn’t complete the thought, preferring to scream as loudly as humanly possible.

She couldn’t see the gang had pulled out knives and were charging. The man holding her laughed.

“You lost you chance, bozos.”

With that, the man kicked with what felt like the power of a thousand men. And then he kept kicking, spinning around when appropriate. Esther began to feel sick being jostled so much, and practically upside down dangling over this lunatic’s shoulder.

“Ah, this is turning into a freaking hassle,” the man declared while Esther moaned with nausea, “We better beat it.”

Apparently, as Esther discovered, he didn’t look where he was going, because she suddenly found herself in the canal, desperately trying to not drown.

* * *

“Heh, sorry about that. Shoulda looked before I leapt and all that. Ya know, Senorita, I don’t even know your name…” he said.

He had bought her some replacement clothes in compensation, and the shop owner had kindly lent some towels to dry off while Esther changed. Esther had to admit, he’d bought her some very nice replacements for her habit; a cute dress and winter coat.

She nervously emerged, still uncertain what this guy’s game was.

“It’s Esther,” she said, looking awkward.

The man grinned, his face lighting up. He really was very handsome, she noticed now they were in a well lit shop and he’d propped his sunglasses on his head, though clearly too old for her. He was tanned and stubbly. She supposed he looked like what a bad boy was meant to look like; a wild haired daredevil who had no problem fighting a gang alone.  One moment he looked scary and serious, though, and the next he looked like a happy dog, practically rolling in his chair when he set his eyes on her.

“Aww, I’m so happy we fell into the canal!” he proclaimed and Esther frowned.

“Is she your daughter?” the shop owner asked him.

He looked up from the chair he was straddling with a glint in his eye.

“She’s my lover!”

“HEY!” Esther yelled.

_‘What is this guy playing at?!’_

They left shortly after, both looking pretty good in their new clothes (though Esther felt that his white suit made him look somewhat gangster-ish).

“Thank you for saving me,” she said as they walked down the street. She didn’t feel nervous anymore; his company, though melodramatic in places, felt safe.

“Haha, don’t worry about it. Like I could leave a pretty girl to a bunch of thugs,” he said, and then grew more serious.

“So, Esther, what on earth were you doing in a place like that?” he asked, watching her carefully.

She became quiet, staring at her feet while she tried to think of something to say that didn’t make her sound crazy. He lightly patted her shoulder.

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he told her, but the compassion in his eyes softened her and she opened her mouth.

“I saw someone I was looking for,” she abruptly began, “in this crowd.”

He paused, then pointed at himself.

“Me? You know, your dad won’t approve,” he said and Esther huffed.

“No!” she snapped, but she was smiling as she said it. He reminded her of Abel a little; that habit of joking when things got a little serious. This guy seemed to know the right place and how much humour to apply to the situation though, while Abel always went off the deep end and ended up frustrating Esther more often than not.

She drew in a breath.

“I suppose he’s something like… my complete opposite,” she tried to put her thoughts into words, “No matter how cruel he is… I just can’t seem to put him out of my mind.”

_‘Stupid attraction. And his voice, that smooth honeyed voice drawing me in…’_ she recalled with a heavy sigh.

The man halted and leant against a stone fence, taking a puff from his cigarette.

“Hm. They say hate and love are two sides of the same coin,” he said, looking up at her, “You got someone around you can count on, Esther?”

Unbidden, she remembered Abel’s words to her during the whole Star of Sorrow debacle.

_I’ll stand by your side._

Her eyes widened at the memory. It was then that Abel had seemed most like himself. Or perhaps she hoped that was the truth, and the silly Abel was really Abel.No… what she really feared was that morose Abel she had seen was the real him. The mere thought made her heart wrench.

She gave the mysterious saviour a secretive smile.

“Probably.”

He folded his arms and looked away.

“Ugh, you could do so much better than that airhead,” he muttered.

Esther tilted her head.

“‘Airhead’…?”

* * *

Things had been going well, until the chasing and the shooting. According to her canal swimming friend, a Methuselah was the sole cause for the town they were in becoming crime infested.

And now they were in some alleyway, Esther hurriedly tying her handkerchief around her saviour’s injured arm.

“The Methuselah who ruled my town realised his mistake,” Esther quietly explained while finishing the knot on her handkerchief.

“I still don’t know where he went wrong,” she sighed, her brows knitting together with confusion.

“I’m looking for the answer to that question,” she resolved, “Right now, I’m just someone who needs to be protected.” Esther knew that only too well; Abel and Tres had treated her more like something to be moved out of harm’s way than someone who could help, more often than not.

“But there are things I want and need to do.”

Suddenly she felt her hair being mussed and blinked, looking up at her companion grinning down at her.

“You’re a fine woman,” he told her, “Second best in the world.”

_‘Second best…?’_

“You gotta try your hardest, and never have regrets, okay?”

Before Esther could open her mouth to thank him, a gunshot rang out, and her eyes widened as he fell down. Her throat froze up – she couldn’t even scream, she was so shocked.

A man jumped down and emerged from the shadows, gun smoking. His teeth gave him away as a Methuselah.

“Ohh, what a shame, he’s dead. I was just about to thank him for taking care of my men,” the Methuselah crooned, drawing closer, “Terrans break so easily.”

He stared at her, like a cat watching a mouse.

“What was that about the Methuselah who ruled your town’s mistake, huh?” the way he hissed ‘mistake’ made it sound like he was cursing, “It was giving you damn Terrans a chance to break free.”

He shrugged, stepping even closer.

“But if you throw a little opium at them, everyone’s bound to stay happy.”

Esther’s hand snapped to the gun stashed under her dress. In a flash she had it trained in front of her. The Methuselah was so close, even her unpolished marksmanship could hit him.

“I won’t accept that!” she screamed, firing.

The Methuselah merely leered at her. She gawped as he let her bullets fall from his hand. Now this – this she hadn’t planned for. How had it come to this, again?

“You’ve got a choice,” said the Methuselah, “I drink your blood, or I pump you with opium and sell you off, or I let my boys have a go with you and toss you in the river.”

Esther’s breathing was constricted with stress. Her mind was all over the place. She couldn’t focus properly, couldn’t formulate any plans of attack or defence. Only one thought penetrated her mind.

“Anything but you touching my blood!” she shouted, glaring.

The Methuselah narrowed his eyes, his lip curling in anger.

“Forget it, you look like a virgin; your blood wouldn’t be ripe,” he spat, “I’ll choose for you – boys!”

Before she could even turn to at least try and run, hands had grabbed her arms, dragging her to the ground.

“Operating program switched from search mode to assault mode. Commencing combat…”

In her entire life, Esther had never been so relieved to hear a voice. From her awkward position on the ground, the men were blown away with gunfire before her eyes. She quickly squeezed them closed, not wanting to look. When the gunfire halted, she opened her eyes enough so she could crawl over to Tres, who looked positively demonic in the low light, his eyes glowing and guns smoking.

The Methuselah seemed to think so too, his eyes wide with fear, stumbling backwards.

“T-The Vatican?!” the Methuselah cried.

“Affirmative,” said Tres, “I am a field operative from AX. HC-Tres Iqus. Codename: Gunslinger. Damage report, Esther.”

Esther had never heard Tres use his full name and title. She blinked. Damage?

“N-no, I’m fine,” she squeaked, shuffling until she was sitting by Tres’ leg. He was whirring a great deal, she realised now she was close; his clothes were partially muffling the noise.

Suddenly there was another barrage of gunfire, this time not from Tres.

“Now, now… no one move,” Esther couldn’t mistake the serious, yet almost sing-song voice of Abel, “In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, I’m placing you all under arrest for murder, narcotics, smuggling and attempted rape.”

Despite the sing-song tone, Abel looked dead serious when he emerged from the shadows in front of Esther and Tres. Her heart fluttered a little at the sight, but was quickly halted as Esther saw the man who’d saved her lying on the ground. Now their attackers had been put out of commission she scrambled over to the man, cradling his head in her lap.

“AX field operative, Abel Nightroad. Codename: Crusnik. Esther, we’re so sorry we took so long…” he trailed, noticing Esther huddled over a body. His eyes widened with recognition, but he made no move to help.

“E-Esther…” the man croaked. Tears were welling in Esther’s eyes, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Don’t try to talk!” Esther cried, trying to blink back tears, but failing.

“Senorita… can I ask you something?” he whispered, slowly reaching up and caressing her cheek.

“What?” she whispered, listening intently.

The man smiled.

“Let’s have another date… one that lasts ‘til dawn, okay?”

Esther sniffled, tears flowing freely now. Why did so many people seem to die around her, while she survived?

“Sure… of course…” she sobbed.

“Good… my name is…” but before he could say anything else, Esther felt herself being yanked back and up into the air. An arm wrapped firmly around her throat and she couldn’t even choke out a scream.

“Esther!” Abel cried, eyes wide.

Esther couldn’t see, but she could certainly hear the clank of Tres’ guns being cocked and aimed in her direction. Just like she couldn’t see the perpetrator, but she knew from the gun being pressed into her cheek, that blasted Methuselah was the culprit. She wriggled to no avail, besides getting the gun being pressed harder into her face.

“Do you think your bullets can reach me before I blow her brains out?” the Methuselah taunted, “Throw down your guns!”

“You coward!” Abel growled, but began to put his gun down.

Esther, after all the disparate thoughts she had when put in stressful situations, finally had a moment of clarity. She knew Tres would listen to commands, and managed to create enough of a gap between her throat and the Methuselah’s arm to draw in a breath.

“Shoot!” she yelled.

“Affirmative,” said Tres, and Esther relaxed in relief. Even if he hit her, she didn’t care anymore. She’d watched enough people die tonight, and if she had to sacrifice herself to put an end to this violence, then so be it. She lamented she and her saviour could have that date in Heaven pretty soon. Esther squeezed her eyes shut again, waiting for the sound of gunshots.

“Hold it, Gunslinger.”

Because Esther had her eyes closed, she missed what happened. All she felt was a flurry of motion around her, then the feeling of her falling and being caught by a muscular arm.

“Gotcha.” She was pretty surprised to find her date she’d pencilled in for ‘9pm, Heaven’ was holding her close and grinning as if nothing had happened. The hand that wasn’t holding her was spinning a metal ring on his finger. It looked sharp and fast.

“No-one grabs my girl and puts her in a headlock!”

Esther sat precariously in his one-armed grip as he posed. She looked down and noticed at some point his shirt had come undone to reveal a six-pack moderately covered in hair that made her blink and blush. And then she saw the large chain with a cross on the end lodged with a bullet and things began to fall into place.

“AX field operative, Leon Garcia de Asturias, codename: Dandelion has arrived!” he declared.

_‘Dandelion? What’s that supposed to mean?’_ Esther wondered.

“Information requested, Father Garcia,” Tres monotonously demanded, “Why haven’t you aided us before now?”

Leon rolled his eyes and carefully put Esther down, who was staring at him like he’d recently touched down from another planet.

“You idiot! I was waiting for the perfect moment to make my ultimate move!” Leon crowed, quickly looking over at Esther with a grin, “Right, Esther?!”

Esther couldn’t believe she had shed genuine tears over this lunatic.

* * *

And so the Methuselah was dealt with, and they found a place to rest for the night. Esther had forgiven Leon for acting like he was dying (as she finally realised that she was three for three with bizarre AX members and she simply had to accept their strange behaviours and move on) and now was prepared to continue her journey to Rome.

“I was sent here because Sister Kate said you lot have been causing a ruckus and I was to back you up,” Leon explained. Esther didn’t understand why he had to cuddle her like some overgrown stuffed toy while sitting on his massive motorbike, but somehow she found it a welcome relief after all the other physical contact had been violent.

“Uh, do you really have to keep hugging---” Abel began to say, but was cut off with a punch to the head by Leon. He stumbling back, clutching his head with a whine before sinking to his knees.

“Shut up!” Leon snapped, holding Esther closer, if possible.

“Father Garcia is correct,” Tres interjected, apparently unfazed by their antics, “The incident on the train was unforeseen, but the enemy in the forest and the opium syndicate were orders I had received.”

Esther and Abel gaped at Tres.

“I was the only one in the dark?” Abel demanded, his voice growing higher with histrionics, “Am I being ostracised?! I am, aren’t I?!”

_‘Hey, I was too! Is AX testing us…?’_ Esther thought, growing worried with what this AX were planning. Esther wondered if this were a test for her, since she was being transferred and planning on joining AX as soon as she got into the Vatican. Had she done well, or shown herself to be reckless, running off on a whim and headfirst into trouble? For the first time since she’d set out for Rome, doubt flooded through her.

_‘What if I’ve proved to them I’m useless and they turn me away?’_ she fretted, drawing in a shaky breath.

She looked up to see Abel had now grabbed Tres and was shaking him, searching Tres’ face for answers. Tres blankly stared back.

“I don’t understand what you mean. Let go,” Tres replied.

“They’re both idiots, eh?” Leon grunted, and Esther chuckled, glad for the distraction. She watched as Abel and Tres squabbled.

“They really are. I think Abel knows, but Tres is still in the dark.”

Leon guffawed.

“Ya got that right.”

“Father Leon?”

Leon looked down to find Esther peering up him with her big blue eyes.

“Do you think it really is okay for me to go to Rome?”

“You don’t want to have regrets, right?” he countered, serious.

Esther smiled to herself, then beamed up at Leon.

“I don’t. Thanks, Father Leon!”

Leon grinned and gave her another cuddle.

“Aww, you’re so cute!”

Eventually, after some vocal protests from Abel and some questions from Tres, Leon sighed and let Esther go.

“Right, well, gotta go report this to the bosses and all that,” he said and held out his hand to Abel.

“Bye!” Abel said, reaching out, but suddenly found his head was being pounded against Leon’s thick skull.

“Ya better not make a move on Esther, or I’ll kill you! She promised me a date!” Leon yelled, and Abel stumbled back, whimpering and clutching his head.

“’Til dawn and everything!” he shouted, and drove off with a cackle.

Clearly, everyone in the AX division had some form of insanity. Esther wondered what form hers would take as they headed for the docks.


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter Four **

Esther had never been on a ship. The thought of being between two landmasses, not quite close enough to either if the boat sank unnerved her. Abel appeared even less thrilled with the idea, rambling inanely even a little excessively for him before dodging into the toilets the moment the ship started rocking slightly.

And so she and Tres were left alone on the deck. She leant on the rail, staring out at the sea while Tres stood close by.

“I never would have believed I’d end up on a ship to get to Rome,” Esther said, trying to make some conversation. Tres said nothing, watching her as she spoke.

“So…” she continued, “It won’t be long before we arrive in Rome.”

She sighed, nervously meeting Tres’ blank stare. His auburn hair was pushed back by the breeze. He looked a little odd without his bangs around his face. But she was mentally stalling and drew a breath.

“Tres, I have to apologise. For forcing myself into your group and causing all this trouble. It seems like every bad thing that could have happened, happened, you know?” she said. Various Methuselah, crazy vine wielding enemies, trains blowing up, and drugs riddled towns… yeah, pretty much everything went wrong somewhere or another.

“But some of that was you pushing us into this stuff, I guess to see how I’d react. I’ll bet even the superiors know that Abel wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut,” she sighed, biting her lip. The confidence Leon had given her to keep pushing on to Rome had drained a little now he wasn’t around.

“I simply carry out the orders I am given,” Tres replied and Esther’s heart sunk. She should have expected something like that from Tres, but no, she got her hopes up.

“I was notified nine hundred and thirty-seven seconds ago before the departure that travelling with you is not a problem,” he continued, making Esther gape. Where had this come from? He began to walk away.

“Tres…”

He turned his head to look at her.

“Additional advice: We must uphold our discipline until we arrive in Rome. Example: the event from yesterday. Your decision to act alone could have caused damage to you.”

Esther felt her cheeks growing hot. It wasn’t as if she set out to end up in all that trouble, but she understood what Tres meant. He did care if she got injured or not, though she wasn’t sure if it was something his superiors wanted or a personal motivation. Somehow, after hearing he received a message claiming she was not a problem, his superiors wanted her in Rome in one piece.

“Where are you going?” she asked as he stomped off.

“Patrolling the ship. Please return to your room,” he commanded, and disappeared around the corner.

Esther sighed and looked out at the slowly setting sun.

_‘This is really it. I’m really leaving home.’_ Her heart fluttered with worry. Realising she wasn’t going home for some time made her think about Bishop Laura and grief gripped her.

_‘I always end up crying. I hate it.’_

She rubbed at her face, as if it would erase her sadness. She wished it was so easy.

“You there, Sister,” a kindly voice said, coming closer and Esther immediately looked up, “You miss your home?”

Esther found a man in a top hat wielding a fancy looking cane and a pipe stuck in his mouth standing nearby. She’d never seen anyone in such a strange getup. So many props…

“Or…” he continued, tilting his head slightly, “has the beauty of the sunset made you sentimental? If it is, what a coincidence, since I too am enjoying it.”

He handed her a handkerchief and Esther stared at him. She couldn’t work out if this was another test by AX or not. He looked kindly enough, but still…

“Oh!” he suddenly exclaimed, his green eyes widening, “You shouldn’t be standing here! It’s dangerous!”

However, before she could ask him what exactly was dangerous, something smacked her hard in the head and everything went black.

* * *

Tres had finished his patrol. He had been replaying Esther’s words to him as he walked, trying to understand their meaning. Her expression had been of anxiety. A team member’s mental wellbeing was as important as their physical health, but Tres had not been designed to tend to such matters. He didn’t know why he was even speculating on what was wrong with Esther currently.

Suddenly, he detected Abel’s voice, screaming about a professor and followed it to find Esther and Abel with fellow AX member William Walter Wordsworth. And then they had gone inside to have tea and Tres had stood nearby, listening to William explain that there were strange incidents occurring in the sea where their ship was crossing.

“Once the ship is captivated by the mermaid’s song coming from the ‘sun silence’, nobody can escape shipwreck,” William finished.

Abel had gone positively pale, while Esther stared at William in a mixture of fear and disbelief. Abel turned to look at Tres.

“Tres… do you believe it?” he nervously asked.

“Negative,” Tres responded, “There is not enough evidence to support his claim. Also, if no-one can escape, how are there survivors to talk about seeing a ghost ship or hearing a song?”

Tres observed that Abel didn’t look convinced, but Esther visibly relaxed at his words. William smirked.

“It’s just as Tres says,” he reassured, “Those tales shouldn’t be taken seriously.”

“Then why are you on this ship? Aren’t you here to investigate the mermaid?” Abel questioned, watching William carefully, who grinned.

“You shouldn’t look at me that way,” William replied with a tut, “This ship is actually where I’m exhibiting my latest invention to the public!”

William then leaned forward, eyes sparkling with what Tres approximated as ‘mischief’.

“Abel, you’re going to be my assistant.”

Abel’s expression darkened.

“I should have known it couldn’t be this easy…” he muttered, eyeing William furtively, “What is it, then?”

But before William could explain, he became distracted by a woman entering the large hall.

“Oh, it’s the singer,” he said. No-one in the room could take their eyes off of her, save Tres, who merely observed her for security purposes. Her extremely long dark hair swayed along with her hips as she walked. It was difficult to tell where her dress ended and skin began, giving the impression she was only dressed in strings of beads wound around her head and body. Tres detected that the people in the hall were all whispering about the singer, who batted her eyelashes as she passed by their group. She sashayed to the stage and drew breath.

“So beautiful…” Tres heard Esther inhale. He looked over to her to find Esther looking almost hypnotised. Was this a common reaction to singers? Tres did not know.

“The song of a mermaid,” Abel said, cheeks dusted with red as he stared. William gave another smirk.

“It probably is,” he said, putting Tres on alert. This woman could be a threat to them? Wasn’t captivation part of that unfounded story?

“Now, dear children…” the woman sang with a smile, “Go to sleep.” Tres noted the reveal of fangs in the singer’s mouth and that all the humans began following her command.

Esther stood up, as if to run away, but failed to move, clutching her head.

“Abel, it’s…” she began to say, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open and fell to the ground, hitting her head on her chair in the process.

“Esther!” Abel cried, not reaching her in time. Tres, meanwhile, used the distraction to carefully strafe around the target, getting his guns ready.

“T-This song…” Abel gabbled as the woman drew closer. She smiled.

“Nothing to fear,” she sang, and Abel blinked, unable to keep his eyes open, “Nothing to fear.”

The woman removed his glasses, caressing his chin as he plunged head first into her chest.

“You’re lucky to be asleep,” the woman commented, as Tres began to sneak up on the woman, “Dreams are preferable to watching your blood be drained away. Then everything will end.”

Tres pressed one of his guns to the back of her head.

“I’m not interested in a machine with no blood,” the woman merely hissed, “Oil cannot be made into haemoglobin capsules.”

“Put Father Nightroad down,” Tres commanded. The woman sighed and laid Abel on the ground.

“It’s all just business,” she told Tres, slowly standing up, “Methuselah need capsules to stop the thirst and it so happens human blood is the base ingredient for them. They’d rather go through this process than sully their mouths on Terran flesh. Pointless in the long run, but still… it’s my livelihood. So don’t interfere!”

In a blink of an eye she had spun around. Tres caught sight of a razor blade in the fray as he leapt backwards.

“Zero point two three seconds too slow,” he informed her as he targeted her head and began firing. It was too constricting to fight in this area; too many civilians that could become injured. His gaze briefly flickered in the direction of where Esther and William were lying unconscious, but he couldn’t see them through the masses of sawdust thrown up from shredding the wooden furniture and floors.

“Target out of sight. Possible escape. Initiating search mode.” He began holstering his guns, but his left arm twitched out of control, sparks erupting from the elbow joint, causing the gun and lower half of his arm to fall to the floor. He surmised the razor had been so sharp that his touch sensors couldn’t detect the cut. He tried to move the upper portion of his arm, but it merely made a whirring, then a grinding whine. He holstered his right gun and picked up the fallen one as his primary weapon, abandoning the lower part of his arm. He checked on Esther, William and Abel as the dust cleared. Assured their vitals were good, he looked around. The woman, Methuselah or mermaid had run off, so he exited the hall and carefully made his way along the deck.

He could not comprehend the readings he was receiving. His sensors could detect a living organism, but there was no infrared radiation. It didn’t help that he was getting constant internal reports on the damage to his arm, which was beginning to affect his processing power. The most he could currently surmise was that she possibly escaped into the sea.

“Into the sea…” he vocalised, processors whirring, “Sea… mermaid. ‘Sun silence’.”

Suddenly everything fell into place. Before he could say anything else, though, the mermaid herself leapt into view, her fingernails now claws. She slashed at him and he lifted his good arm to defend himself, but was knocked hard and toppled backwards. All four hundred and forty pounds of him went over the rail and plunged into the cold ocean depths.

“Target category F. A Methuselah with the ability to transform in the water: Mermaid.”

Tres, being Tres, was not fazed by this new and terrifying situation, but simply pointed the gun above him, where the now transformed mermaid swam. She was smiling, her lower half now resembling the tail end of a shark. Her alabaster skin was almost luminescent in the darker ocean, her hair tangled around her like seaweed. Tres fired as best he could in the water, the force of the gunfire pushing him further down.

“How stupid,” she spat, her voice clear as a bell to Tres’ auditory sensors, “A lump of metal under the sea is no match for a shark!”

In a few kicks of her tail, she was upon him. With a laugh, she punched her hand straight through his chest.

The water filling his mouth and chest was causing a great deal of error reports, not to mention the joint fluid pouring out of his body. He was aware in his current state, he would be unable to propel his body to the surface; it was too heavy and he was too damaged.

“Keeping businessmen from trading is the same as keeping someone from continuing their life,” the mermaid crooned, drifting in front of him, his viscous joint fluid floating around her hands.

“I can’t afford to have my business stopped, so I too must live my life prepared to fight to the death.”

The mermaid valued her job on a par with her life. In that way, she and Tres were not so different, though he would argue the semantics of him possessing a ‘life’.

“Die…” he said, his voice garbled by the water. The mermaid began pushing him down in the water, watching his expressionless face.

_‘“Dying is reserved for the living. You will merely be damaged. Your duty is to protect as many people from dying as possible, even at the cost of damaging yourself. You may be repaired; they may not.”’_ That memory… it had been Cardinal Caterina lecturing him when he had first been shipped to AX. He didn’t know why she had sounded so hostile when he’d never met her before. It mattered not; they had been orders and he had obeyed ever since.

“I am a machine,” he asserted, “Not a human. I am just damaged.”

The mermaid pulled a face.

“How un-cute,” she sighed and shoved her hand into his face, blinding him. He couldn’t even move to defend himself anymore; all that rang in his head were warnings and errors reports. His auditory sensors were beginning to fail; whatever the mermaid said next, he didn’t hear. He only felt her shove him so he’d sink to the bottom of the sea.

His eyes now free, he looked up as he sank to see the mermaid smirking at him, then her eyes widen in shock as a hole appeared in her arm. She recoiled away and gripped her arm, revealing Abel diving towards Tres and grabbing his leg.

_‘“I’ll prove to you that I’ve got your back just as much as you have mine, Tres! That’s what friends are for!”’_ It had been Abel’s mantra in the early days when they had been paired up together. Now he was screaming underwater, and therefore incomprehensible.

Abel dragged them up to the surface, his Crusnik strength pulling Tres’ weight up with relative ease. Tres followed Abel up a ladder to the deck, despite his body’s groaning protests, and sat on the deck to let the water drain.

“You are disadvantaged in an underwater fight,” Tres pointed out, “Why do you still purposefully interfere with the situation, Father Nightroad?”

Abel gasped for breath, his silver hair plastered to his face.

“Are you mad?!” he screamed, “If I hadn’t interfered, you’d be dead!”

The error reports were still buzzing in his head, but now the water was draining, they were starting to decrease.

“Negative, I would only be damaged.”

Abel looked ready to throttle Tres with all his might.

“Crazy! You won’t survive with that ideology.”

“I was not programmed otherwise.”

One of his primary directives was defending humans even if it caused critical damage to himself. He would not preserve himself if it consequently caused humans harm. But Abel treated him like a human, and never took Tres’ orders into account. There was little Tres could do beyond protect Abel as he tried to protect him, which subsequently caused Abel to talk about what great buddies they were, protecting each other’s backs in battle.

“Very close, as always, with you two,” a voice sighed and Tres swivelled his head to find William and Esther on the deck, perfectly alert. William was holding the rest of Tres’ abandoned arm, scratching his head.

“You know, Abel has a point, Tres” William continued, “It’s not much good acting without thinking until you damage yourself like this. Who do you think is going to have to fix this?”

William raised an eyebrow and gave Tres’ arm a little twirl. Tres noted Esther’s expression of horror at the sight.

“T-Tres…” she stammered, stepping forward, “I’m so sorry! When you saved me… that arm…”

“Negative,” Tres stated, “as I have already informed you, Esther, being wounded on duty can always happen. Do not take it to heart.”

He was still sopping, his hair plastered to his face, but his body felt good enough to stand, which he managed with only minor body spasms.

“O-okay,” she replied, still fretful.

“May I ask how you are all here, when you were put to sleep by the mermaid nine hundred and fifty five seconds ago?”

William grinned.

“Ahh, so you  _are_ curious! Here we go!” He pulled something out of his ear. It was an earplug with his initials on it.

“Such an elementary evil requires matching protection,” he said dramatically, “Sound goes through smoothly. My proud invention: ‘Ear Man’!”

Tres looked over to Abel, who had shuffled over to Esther, enjoying her fussing over him, trying to dry his hair with a hanky.

“He got to use that, while we got injected with a suspicious special stimulant formula by the Professor,” Abel whined, shuddering at the thought. Esther didn’t exactly look pleased either, speeding her handkerchief dabbing up. She had to stretch up a fair amount to reach Abel’s head. Eventually she gave up, wringing out the hanky and watching William laugh and twirl Tres’ arm about again.

“Is that earplug the latest invention you were talking about?” Abel questioned, narrowing his eyes.

“How can this be an earplug?” said William, rolling his eyes, “I’m not swimming around or competing in diving contests like Tres, am I?”

Abel pouted, stomping over to the edge of the deck where Tres stood. Before he could come up with a counterattack, a hand snaked out and grabbed him, tugging him back into the ocean.

Tres immediately went to follow him, but William appeared at his elbow, looking deadly serious.

“No,” he commanded, “you know your current state cannot function in that environment. Perhaps if you’d taken better care of yourself, Abel wouldn’t have to fight by himself now, hmm?”

Tres said nothing in reply, trying to see what was going on in the ocean.

“Abel!” Esther cried, peering over the edge. Nothing could be seen. The silence was abhorrent to her.

“H-How long can Abel hold his breath?” she whispered after several minutes with no sign of Abel.

Tres opened his mouth to reply, but the boat rocked suddenly and Esther went stumbling backwards. William caught her around the waist with ease.

“Please excuse my manners,” he said with a smile, “It seems the time has come…”

He pointed with his cane.

“Look ahead, Esther, Tres, at the results of the research by me, William Walter Wordsworth, codename ‘Professor’.”

Esther gaped at the massive shape emerging from the depths of the ocean. It was a humongous white robot of some kind.

“I present the heavy android for sea combat – ‘Poseidon WWW’!” William shouted over the noise of the robot and ocean.

Esther gaped as the robot managed to stand straight for roughly ten seconds before being knocked over by the power of the ocean, it’s metal body groaning under the strain.

“Oh my…” William gasped, “My Poseidon!”

“Look!” Esther pointed at the Poseidon’s head. Washed up on it was Abel. Even from the distance they were at, they could hear Abel moaning, “What… what happened?”

The mermaid was washed up in the robot’s hand, looking equally dishevelled and confused.

“This is not about ‘what’!” William fumed, “This invention was built with all my love, as if my own precious child! Did this happen because I waited too long and the fish got in? Another miscalculation?!”

Esther was pulling faces at William’s words, though Tres did not know what they represented.

“What are you making a fuss about?”

Esther looked up to see a massive airship in the sky above with the Vatican seal on its side, where the voice had come from.

“I’ve come to pick you up,” the voice continued.

“The Iron Maiden two!” William exclaimed, apparently over his invention’s failure, “Kate!”

Tres observed Esther’s wide-eyed amazement briefly before returning his gaze back to the airship.

“I am here on Lady Caterina’s request,” Kate told them.

Abel grinned up at the airship.

“Nice timing, we just finished another job!” Abel shouted up, “Is Lady Caterina well?”

“Yes, she is. She’s awaiting you all in Rome. But what’s that?”

William immediately went into a sales pitch for the Poseidon WWW, but Kate cut him off.

“I decline the offer,” she said curtly.

William looked disappointed for a moment before catching sight of the mermaid.

“Oh, I almost forgot about you,” he said, “Now, Miss Mermaid, what you said to Tres…”

Esther turned away in favour of looking up at the airship. Her heart was pounding. Her journey was finally finished.

“Oh!” Kate said, “You must be Sister Esther. Travelling with useless priests must be extremely tiring.” A flickering image of a woman appeared near the entrance of the airship where a ladder was lowered. Esther blinked.

“Hey, useless?!” Abel protested as he got up and grabbed at the ladder, “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Hope that doesn’t include me…” William muttered.

Tres said nothing as Esther stepped forward, her eyes glued to the translucent figure.

“Welcome to the Vatican!” the kind looking lady said with a bright smile.

Esther looked over at the ladder. Abel was on it, grinning.

“Come on, let’s go, Esther,” he said, his voice filled with warmth.

With a smile, she took hold of Abel’s hand and allowed him to pull her aboard, tucked close to him.

Finally, perhaps she would get some answers about the members of AX and their enemies.


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter Five **

Things had definitely calmed down since Esther had reached the Vatican. In fact ‘come to a complete standstill’ was probably a better way to phrase it. She’d been accepted into AX and was undergoing training and processing paperwork before she could be made a full agent. In the meantime, she focused on what had brought her here in the first place; the search for answers.

Esther felt guilty as she flipped through pages in the archive section of the Vatican’s massive library trying to find out more about Abel. With Tres, it didn’t bother her nearly as much, simply because he was so apathetic on the matter of his origins. With Abel, Esther just knew in her gut he was hiding something from her, and clearly wanted as few people to know about him as possible.

But there had been next to nothing on him. It was unbelievably frustrating to go through large piles of records with next to nothing of use in them. After an hour she’d switched to finding information about Tres. Half an hour later and Esther sat back with a sigh.

_‘Abel was right; there’s nothing here. These records only date back five years… when Abel and Tres first met. They’ve been working for AX since its inception? Hmm…’_

There were no open records on AX members for security reasons, which disappointed her. Her desire to know the truth didn’t outweigh outright stealing records.

_‘But people should be able to access their own records, right? Maybe I could convince Tres to get his. The chances of Abel assisting me on his own records is pretty low, and I don’t think I could bear to see that sad look on his face if I brought it up,’_ she thought with a sigh.

She began looking through the last sheath of papers. One caught her eye, listing ‘HC-IIIX transfer approval’ near the top. Esther looked at it.

_‘“Hereby all reference to HC-IIIX will be changed to ‘android’”… what does that mean?’_

Esther was flummoxed by this new information, and quickly shuffled it back together and put it away. Her hands were shaking. They had been right, and information was being withheld?

“Does that mean they’re lying to us about other things…?” Esther worried aloud and hurried out of the open records room back to her own room.

Training was going well; it wouldn’t be long before she’d be sent out on missions, though minor to build her field work experience up. She’d been told she’d eventually be partnered up with people, and she hoped it would be Abel and Tres. Whenever she wasn’t training, she was looking through documents while pretending to study. And when she wasn’t doing that, she was either listlessly wandering about or in her room. After all the action and adventure getting to the Vatican, things had really slowed down painfully. She’d barely seen Abel since they’d arrived and Tres only seemed to ever pop up to tell her she was violating some rules before being called off on some mission.

Esther sighed, rolling onto her side. She was feeling a little sorry for herself. The training was the best part of her day; it kept her mind occupied and challenged. According to her teachers, she was doing extremely well. Except target practice, but she wasn’t exactly in the habit of shooting at anything.

Suddenly, she sat up.

“Of course!” she exclaiming, brightening.

Tres had said he’d help her with target practice when he could, if he wasn’t doing anything.

“Tomorrow. I’ll ask him tomorrow!”

It was getting late, so she decided to head to bed for the night and get up early to find him. Content in the knowledge at least something slightly different was going to happen compared to the routine that had been building up, she closed her eyes with a smile and pulled the covers over herself.

* * *

He had been in his room. Esther had got directions from a very nice, if a little nervy, nun she’d bumped into as she’d left her room the next day.

“Hello, Esther.” His voice was its usual timbre. He looked indifferent, which always irritated Esther, but she made no comment.

“Hey, Tres. Do you remember saying you’d help with my shooting if you had free time?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Affirmative.”

“Well, do you have any free time today? I really would like to train.”

Tres walked over to her.

“There are no missions scheduled for today. I may assist you.”

Esther smiled, bouncing on her heels a little.

“Really?! Oh, thank goodness, I was going mad here!”

Tres blinked.

“How is this location inducing madness?” he enquired and Esther left for the shooting range.

Esther sighed.

_‘Well, apart from that fact everyone here is a little mad…’_

“It was getting lonely without seeing you and Abel. You two are the only people I really know here and it felt like you guys just dumped me once we arrived. It’s been hard to adjust to this new life all alone,” she explained.

“Therefore, your loneliness was inducing madness?”

“Tres, I am not going mad! It’s a figure of speech!”

Tres processed this information.

“Affirmative. Linked to phrases such as ‘stir crazy’ whereby confinement induces mental illness. I understand.”

Esther said nothing.

_‘You don’t, but I’m not entering into this discussion,’_ she mentally groused.

“Anyway, the point is, I’m glad I haven’t been forgotten, alright?” she said, beginning to hurry to the shooting range. Tres easily kept step with her.

“Unless the information is deleted or corrupted, I shall not forget anything,” he told her.

“It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been forgotten if no-one talks to you. You remembered me, but you didn’t exactly seek out my company,” she tried to explain, despite knowing its futility.

“I seek no-one’s company, unless summoned to do so.”

“I figured as much.” Suddenly target practice was looking a lot less fun.

* * *

And it turned out she was right. Tres had given her instructions and Esther had tried to follow them as best as possible. He constantly gave her updates on her accuracy, which steadily improved, though he compared them to Abel’s data, which made her look pathetic. Abel was a lot more proficient with guns than Esther had given him credit for.

Eventually, when she could feel sweat beading at her temples and her arms were trembling and heavy with exhaustion some hours later, she had put the gun down and collapsed on a nearby chair.

“Tres, I can’t go on. My body feels ready to collapse.” Esther clutched her arms to her torso, willing them to recover.

“Father Nightroad is able to sustain gun combat for up to--”

“I don’t care! I’m not Abel, Tres! I’m not a guy who’s trained for years in AX, okay?!” she snapped with a frown.

“I know you are not Father Nightroad. Father Nightroad is one hundred and ninety-one centimetres tall and approximately one hundred and sixty-one pounds. You are--”

“Tres, I don’t need to know that!” she interrupted, feeling her face heat up. “It’s not nice to blurt out a lady’s weight.”

“I was merely demonstrating the statistical differences between yourself and Father Nightroad.”

Esther sighed, getting to her feet.

“Tres, I think I know that Abel is taller and heavier than me. I use these things called eyes,” she said. She should have trusted that gut feeling the moment she’d laid eyes on Tres this morning. Esther decided to change tact.

“Let’s just forget about all this. Would you mind taking a walk with me through the grounds? My arms got all the exercise and my legs got none!” She tried to sound cheery.

Tres headed for the door.

“I have no duties to perform today.”

This apparently meant ‘sure’. Tres opened the door and held it open for Esther. She gave him an odd look, but exited.

The grounds she was talking about was a walkway that ran through some of the gardens near the outskirts of the Vatican. She had discovered it early on during her exploration of the grounds after her tour, which didn’t cover a great deal of the outdoor pathways beyond the ones that connected to buildings she would need to get to. It had a lot of pretty flora and well sculpted bushes surrounding it, and Esther liked to go there to reflect on her situation.

She decided to ask him some questions, partly to make conversation, but mostly to learn more about him, which would potential aid her flagging investigation.

“So when is your birthday?”

“I do not have a birthday.”

Esther sighed.

“Okay, then when were you created?”

“Thirty-thirty-six.”

She blinked.

“Wow, so you’re twenty-four years old. That makes me feel a little young.”

Tres said nothing.

“Because I’m fifteen and all, since you asked,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“I did not ask.”

Esther sighed. It felt like half her time spent with Tres comprised of a question and a sigh at his answer.

“Were you trying to be a gentleman and not ask a lady’s age, or just being rude?” she asked, not being serious.

“I was neither being a gentleman nor rude; there was no reason to ask.”

Esther felt a pang in her heart.

“Don’t you want to learn about your teammates?”

Tres looked at her, and his face was its usual repose to Esther’s despair.

“There is no need; all I need are my masters’ orders. All pertinent data regarding my teammates will be given to me when required.”

Esther tilted her head.

“How are you so sure your masters are right about everything?” she probed, watching Tres carefully.

His face gave nothing away, but he did stop moving. Esther also halted, waiting for an answer.

“It does not matter whether my masters are right or not,” he stated, “I am their property and must comply with their orders.”

Esther could feel herself getting worked up and upset.

“How can you just stand by and follow orders? What if you’re given instructions you don’t agree with?”

“There is nothing I do not agree with. I do not have ‘opinions’.”

Esther planted herself in front of him, imploring.

“You must have opinions. What about this?” she said, and wrapped her arms around Tres’ body, pressing herself tightly to him.

“You are attempting to restrain me, Esther,” she could feel the vibration in his chest from his deep voice.

“No, I’m  _hugging_ you, Tres.”

“Why?”

“Because I care about you, even if you don’t care about yourself! I want to know all about you; who you are, whether we’re all being lied to by the Vatican!”

“That is unnecessary.”

She felt foolish for even trying.

“Sorry,” she muttered and ran away.

_‘So, I guess I really am alone after all.’_

* * *

Tres’ gaze followed her unsteady run from him. An internal error occurred and Tres felt like he hadn’t correctly followed orders. But what orders was he given concerning Esther and not upsetting her?

Tres did not follow after her, instead returning to his quarters so he could run an internal scan to check he was functioning properly.

Despite her words hinting at rebelling against the Vatican, which would usually put her on immediate watch to check she wasn’t planning a betrayal, Tres decided not to file a report.

Was that another internal error? Regardless of considering it such, Tres made no attempt to correct it.

* * *

The days passed slowly in Rome. Esther didn’t like it at all. She felt like she was becoming paranoid over the meagre amounts of information she’d dug up. Despite wanting to know more, she didn’t dare risk being caught and locked away.

And Tres. Tres was a jerk, in Esther’s mind. She just wanted him to understand, but his ability to take in information appeared to be broken. She wouldn’t accept the explanation ‘he’s an android’ for everything – especially after reading that report in the records archive along with hearing Abel’s own doubts.

She flopped back on her bed. They’d given her a little room to board in while they processed paperwork during her training. Abel had put in a good word for her to the scary looking woman, Caterina. All in all, Esther felt discombobulated. She giggled stupidly at ‘discombobulated’ and wondered what Tres would make of her situation.

“Not a lot,” she sighed. She had to get her hands on more information! Esther really didn’t want to be stuck in her room thinking; she wanted to be out there, doing something. Dietrich drifted in her mind, laughing. Esther wanted to find him, talk to him, but the likelihood shrunk with each passing day.

But there was something inside her that wouldn’t give up; not on Dietrich, or finding out about Abel and Tres. Even if she hadn’t seen Abel, Tres was proving an uphill struggle and Dietrich had been blatantly cruel and run off.

_‘I’m not giving up on them. But… I’ll give it a rest until my training is finished,’_ she decided.

“It’ll just be a little while…”


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter Six **

Esther’s training finished three weeks later. She felt more confident in herself, as she’d passed her training with flying colours. Her teachers had praised her dedication, which brought a smile to her face. Esther felt like she could actually take missions on and not have to rely on Abel or Tres. She had spent too much time trying to hang on to their coattails, she realised, when she should have focused on getting stronger. She would protect herself and help others. And it made her grin with happiness.

“I’m useful!” was what she had cried when they’d finalised her paperwork, making her teachers chuckle.

“Sister Esther, you were always useful. You even have a lot of potential we’re yet to see, I believe. AX will be monitoring your process with great interest.”

She’d felt a little less enthused about that. It sounded more like they were waiting for her to take a wrong step. Or warning her to stay in line. They apparently knew that she had known Dietrich, which had passed without much comment, but in a ‘we’ll use that fact later’ way. Specifically a ‘we’ll track him down and send her out’ kind of way, which made Esther’s stomach flop about. Esther wasn’t sure whether to be happy or panic over such a situation.

Now she got mission logs, which meant she knew if other team members were out in the field or not. In the week since she’d been given access to the logs, she’d found that Abel was almost always out in the field. However, most AX members appeared to spent large amounts of time not at headquarters – a man called Hugue de Watteau hadn’t been back in almost two years.

Would she be the same, travelling about the world, following orders handed down by Caterina Sforza? She had met Caterina on two occasions now, and the woman seemed strong and determined, with a mild interest in Esther. Esther felt like she could never attain such will and focus that Caterina exuded, but decided perhaps she didn’t want to be such an intense individual. No, she was happy more or less as she was. It was the lack of answers around her and the unwillingness of others to help that was the problem.

Now she had finished her training, she could start investigating again, but the lack of support really put the wind out of her sails. Just thinking about it began to depress her.

“Sister Esther!” a Vatican servant jogged up to her.

“Uh, yes?”

“You just received a mission. You’ve been requested to go to the communications office for briefing,” the servant explained, catching his breath.

“O-of course! Thank you!” she squeaked, trying to remember how to get to the communications office. Was that on the tour?

All she did know was after she got this mission statement, something needed to be done.

She had to find Tres.

* * *

Tres was in his room, in diagnostic mode. He always made sure he was fully functional, in case a mission suddenly came up requiring his assistance. And lately, he hadn’t seemed fully functional, though every diagnostic came back negative. He supposed a human would say that it ‘bothered’ him, but it didn’t. He simply wished to check he could perform his duties to the best of his ability.

Someone knocked on his door.

“Come in,” he said, waiting to see who it was. A small pale face with large blue eyes popped around the door before properly entering, closing the door behind her.

“Why are you here, Esther?” Tres asked, standing. He disconnected the wires attached to him and strode over, but Esther edgily backed off and he halted.

“I’m here to say goodbye for a little while,” she said with a sombre smile.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh, just a few towns away – some district called Reisfal. One of the parishes requested some help, and I was chosen to go, since there isn’t much for me to do here and they need to test my field skills. Anyone I want to help here refuses, so I thought I’d be better off elsewhere for a little while, at least.”

Tres remained still, uncertain how to proceed. Surely there was nothing more to say?

Esther sighed.

“I thought it would go something like this.”

She finally approached him, looking into his brown eyes.

“I just wanted to say a few things before I left,” she finally admitted, and carefully reached up to touch his smooth face, “I understand that breaking patterns is hard. But if you can, I want to request your help on something.”

Tres blinked; all part of a subroutine to allow him to blend in. Yet he knew that he wasn’t meant to blink for another five seconds.

“What is it?”

Her expression was earnest.

“I would like you to help me research your creation. I’d like to know how you were constructed, why you were made like you are – anything I can.”

“I do not understand your purpose,” he began, and noted how Esther’s face crumpled, “but it does not conflict with any other orders. I will aid you to the best of my ability.”

Esther grinned and threw her arms around Tres, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you!” she said, her voice muffled by his chest.

Tres searched for the appropriate response.

“You’re welcome.”

Esther immediately looked up at him.

“Why did you say that?”

Tres considered her question.

“It was the most appropriate response. I did not want this conversation to have the same results as our previous one.”

Esther’s mouth dropped open, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she pressed her face back into his chest again. Tres slowly lifted his arms and placed them on her back to reciprocate her embrace. Esther peered up at him again.

“It’s an appropriate response, right?” she said, and he nodded. She closed her eyes and sighed.

“I can feel it… you’re getting there. Slowly, but surely, you’re changing.”

Tres had no answer for her words. Eventually, Esther pulled away. Tres noticed how much her enthusiasm had increased compared to when she’d first entered the room. She practically danced back to the door, turning to give him one last wave.

“Well, I’ll see you again soon enough. Bye, Tres!”

“Goodbye, Esther.”

He did not wave back.

The lack of bright smiles and chatter left Tres noticing how little colour was in his room, though made no plans to remedy it.


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter Seven **

The journey had been fairly uneventful. She’d been given just enough money to get a train to the district, and then she was to walk to the parish in need. The briefing had been short and they’d given her a clearly marked out map and a communication device that crazy inventor guy William had designed. They’d also handed over a couple of pistols she was to hide under her habit and ammo to pack with the rest of her gear. According to the briefing, the parish was simply short a few people and the district had a few more sick than usual; nothing life threatening. It wasn’t much of a field test, but Esther would take helping people over being cooped up in the Vatican any day.

All that was worrying her now, as she walked along the straight dirt road to the parish (no way was she ever taking a shortcut through a forest again), was what the people would be like. That, and being by herself. She missed Abel and Tres, the silly banter, trying to provoke a reaction from Tres – all that stupid stuff. Despite all the terrors they endured, it had been spending time as a trio that would make Esther happily go right back and do it again without question.

It had only taken her a little under a day to reach the parish. The main church that helped the nearby villages was in a hamlet of a handful of houses. The church doors were open so she entered, peering around.

“Uh, hello?” she called. The candles were lit, and the church had a warm feeling about it, to her relief.

“Oh, hello!” a man popped up from an adjoining room at the other end of the church, “Are you Sister Esther Blanchett?”

Esther approached the man with a friendly smile.

“I am! The Vatican sent me to lend you a hand. Please just call me Esther…?” she said, close enough to get a good look at the priest. He was tall and skinny with a mop of dark blond hair. Esther guessed he was in his late twenties.

“Sorry, Father James Somerville. Father James will do, though. Let me take your things and show you where you’re staying.”

Esther reluctantly handed over her lone bag, thinking about the ammo in it. She knew it was good to be prepared, but this place didn’t exactly seem Methuselah central, especially so relatively close to the Vatican.

“Here’s your room. It’s small, but comfy,” Father James said, putting her bag on the little bed in the corner.

“It’s fine; it’s the same size as my room in the Vatican and twice as welcoming!” she replied with a grin and Father James laughed.

“I’m sure you’re exaggerating,” he chuckled, “Now, are you hungry?”

As if her stomach heard, it began to grumble.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. I just put some soup on, so I better check on it. Come on.”

So she had some soup, accompanied with some bread followed by a small pie between them. And Esther retired for the night, beginning to feel good about the mission she’d been sent on. She’d even say it was a bit of a stretch calling it a ‘mission’, and snuggled into her bed, tired from travelling.

The next morning Esther helped out the locals and found they were all extremely friendly, to Esther’s relief. It was pretty Methuselah free, from the sounds of things. For once, her duties didn’t include fighting for her life.

In fact, ‘help’ seemed to encompass a few poorly villagers that needed some care and some chores around the church. Another nun was coming to assist Father James permanently, since the previous priest that had helped Father James left the church to travel around the world, helping those he came across. Effectively, Esther was the week long stopgap until the new person got there, which suited Esther just fine.

With a grin, she got out a broom and began sweeping.

_‘Just like old times.’_

* * *

Meanwhile, a solo mission had been forwarded to Tres. He was to investigate a village who claimed a mutant was killing their people. The Vatican didn’t know how it was doing it, but instructed Tres to search it out and destroy it.

The village was almost a week’s journey on foot, but one of the Vatican fleets was going to pass over it, so Tres was aboard, waiting to jump off when the time came.

Tres watched the landscape pass below him. Finding mutants could be difficult, as many of them had an outwardly human form. Most mutants’ powers were mental in origin, which made him immune to a great deal of them. Unlike many AX agents, he did not question his orders when confronted with human appearing mutants. He was told they needed to be eliminated and he did so.

Two hours later he was given the signal and dropped from the ship like a stone into a clearing only a few miles from the village he was assigned to. He landed unharmed and immediately began walking in the direction of the village.

When he arrived, he found most of the villagers fearful and unwilling to cooperate.

“Why did you request help from the Vatican if you will not talk to me?” he intoned to the large man who people had directed him to, claiming he was their leader. The man sighed and puffed on his pipe.

“It’s like this,” the man said, “Everyone’s afraid of the mutant. Scared witless. He hides during the day and comes out at night, using his powers to kill us lot. My own cousin fell sick not a week ago and we found the mutant standing over his body, using his powers. My cousin died not two hours later.”

“Do you know where this mutant hides?” Tres asked. The man shrugged.

“We tried to follow him last time, but he’s quick as anything. I can only tell you he can’t be too far from our village to visit almost every night and he usually runs off through the east exit by the village hall. That enough?”

Tres nodded, turning to leave.

“Affirmative.”

He headed where the man directed to see the village wasn’t far from a river. There were only fields and a few trees here and there. He decided to follow the river, initiating search mode.

He silently made his way along the river. There were several tracks, indicating people came here on a daily basis, for water or to fish, Tres could not be sure. As he moved further up the river, though, the tracks thinned out until there was only one set left.

The path grew hilly and rocks littered the sides of the river. Eventually Tres stopped at an outcrop of rocks where the land had formed a minor cliff where the river cascaded down from. He heard a noise and remained still, waiting for the source to reveal itself. A figure wandered out from a small cave wedged into the side of cliff and screamed.

A boy, no more than eleven, cowered before Tres. His clothes were tattered, though the boy looked relatively clean. Tres deduced the boy used the river as his source of drinking water and for cleaning.

“You are the mutant,” Tres stated, pulling out his guns and training them on the boy.

The boy wailed, his large blue eyes filling with tears.

“Please, sir, please don’t kill me! I didn’t hurt anyone! I just tried to help! I-I heal people. That’s my power. But those people chased me away before I could save the sick people, s-s-so they d-died and they blamed me!” the boy sobbed, trembling.

Tres could not hear the stress patterns congruent with a lie and paused, aiming his guns at the ground.

“You claim you power is to heal? Prove it,” Tres demanded.

The boy managed to stop crying, rubbing his eyes. He looked around his little camp for a moment before snatching up a knife. Cringing, he cut his arm. Tres watched as the boy held his other hand above the bleeding wound. A slight glow came from his hands and the wound began to knit together. In under two minutes, he’d cut and healed the injury. Tres was at a loss. He raised his guns again.

“I was sent here to kill you. Mutants are to be eliminated,” he stated, and the boy began crying again.

“B-But I didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t want to die!”

Tres looked at the dishevelled boy and something was internally triggered.

_Child. Vulnerable. Protect._

He didn’t know where the sudden instructions came from, but they made him lower his guns a fraction. Were these things hardwired into his programming? When were they? He couldn’t recall. If they were programmed, then why would he be ordered to execute a child, when his masters must be aware of his programming?

For the first time in a long time, Tres didn’t know what to do. His orders were conflicting one another. The guns shuddered in his grip and the boy cringed, shuffling backwards into the stone outcropping.

“Please, sir, please!” he begged and Tres found himself holstering his guns.

“You must leave and never return. Your abilities must not be used, even if they are helpful; you shall be persecuted regardless. If you do not comply, I will be forced to eliminate you for safety reasons.”

The boy began to cry.

“Thank you, sir! Thank you, so much! I won’t ever use them again, I promise! I’ll hide and go far away.”

The boy ran off, and Tres watched him fade into the night. He could not comprehend how he had allowed such an action to occur without any error reports. Did this mean he had succeeded in his mission? What mission was that?

He opened a communication channel to Sister Kate.

“Mission accomplished.”

“In one night? Very impressive. Return to Rome immediately.”

“Affirmative.”

The communication channel closed and Tres began to head back to Rome, unfazed by the long walk. He would use the time to process the latest events and what they meant.

* * *

The last few days had passed peacefully. Esther was really enjoying her first field mission. She’d be content if all her missions turned out like this. Being here reminded her of all the happy times she’d spent with Bishop Laura in Istvan.

It was a tight knit community and the church seemed to function more like a town hall than a place of worship, which suited Esther fine. Father James spent most of his time with his congregation, fixing up fences or helping out with the sick. Esther saw how much he was cherished by the locals, and it made her a little envious. She wished she had a community like this to fall back upon.

_‘You’ve got Abel and Tres,’_ a little voice whispered in her mind. Yes, she supposed she did. But being part of a trio was one thing, but actually meeting up as said trio was another altogether.

With a sigh she began putting her freshly washed spare habit into her bag. She was a little sad it was her last day; the people here had really grown on her. Perhaps this could be place for her to get away when things got lonely in the Vatican.

_‘What is the policy on leave there, anyway? Do we get holidays?’_ she wondered.

“Sister Blanchett! Sister Blanchett!” A group of teenagers ran into the church, panting.

“What is it?” she asked, hurrying over. Had one of them been injured? It was typical; just as she was packing to go,  _now_ someone got hurt.

“M-Methuselah!” one choked out and Esther’s eyes widened.

“Where?”

“O-Out in the fields! We were running and John stumbled over a trapdoor. It led to a bunch of Methuselah. They couldn’t follow us out because it w-was light. B-but now we know they’re there… they said they were coming to kill us, and it’s almost sunset!”

Esther drew in a calming breath.

“All right,” she said, taking charge, “Gather everyone for a meeting here in the church immediately. Everyone!”

The group nodded and split up. Esther ran to the bell tower and began ringing it to help get people moving before deciding how she was going to barricade people in.

“Oh!” She fished out her communication device. Perhaps she could get backup?

“Hello? This is Sister Esther Blanchett requesting aid,” she said and the communicator crackled.

“Sister Blanchett, report,” the voice on the other end replied.

“W-Well, I’ve run into a little problem. A group of Methuselah have been discovered hiding out close by and they’re coming to kill us. I need some backup. These people aren’t equipped to fight a whole gang of Methuselah,” she said, stumbling over her words. She’d never dealt with all these official channels before and she couldn’t remember her training covering this kind of thing.

“We shall see what can be done. Have you made preparations in the meantime?”

“Yes. I’m going to barricade people in to buy some time so I can see what the Methuselah plan to do,” she answered.

“Very well. We will be in contact soon.” The line went dead.

Esther didn’t feel particularly aided by the conversation. How long were they going to take? She decided it would best to busy herself making preparations, rather than panic and headed to the trapdoor behind the altar which led to a spacious basement just for emergencies like these.

The sound of the church doors opening gave her start and she looked up. People were filing in, looking fearful. Father James slid past them, making his way to Esther.

“Is this really happening?” he asked in a low voice and Esther nodded.

“I don’t they would make something like this up. They were absolutely terrified,” she replied and Father James ran a hand through his hair.

“I can’t believe our parish is being targeted. And you’re trained to deal with these types of things?”

“Yes. I’ve got a pair of pistols on me right now, to be honest. AX don’t like to send their agents out unarmed for precisely this reason.”

Father James looked a little shocked.

“Well… let’s hold this meeting,” he looked at the congregation, “Everyone appears to be here.”

Esther swallowed and stood in front of the altar.

“Hi, everyone, sorry about this. For those that haven’t heard, we may be paid a visit from some Methuselah.” She was cut off by the uproar of voices.

“Please, everyone!” Father James intervened, and the chatter died down, “Listen to Sister Esther – she’s the most experienced in dealing with this.”

_‘Not by myself,’_ she thought nervously.

“Does anyone have combat experience?” she asked. The villagers were silent. It was worse than she thought.

“Okay, that’s not a problem,” she lied, trying to sound positive, while her heart sank like a stone.

“Right, what we’re going to do is reinforce the church and bring some supplies into church basement. It’s large enough for the village – underground bunkers are kind of basic church issue,” she gave a lame laugh which was shared by no-one.

“Ahem, anyway, so we have roughly an hour before sundown. Grab some basic supplies – some food and water should suffice – and place it in the basement. Then all those who are fit I want to help barricade the windows and doors. When the sun sets, I’m going to go to the bell tower and keep an eye on the Methuselah. I’ve called in for backup, so hopefully before anything can happen, we’ll be have some help come in. Is everyone okay with that?”

No one protested. Father James stepped forward.

“Thank you, everyone. Your cooperation is key to our success. Please return in fifteen minutes – the quicker we start barricading this place, the better for us in the long run.”

The villagers nodded and dispersed. The children remained behind, and were shown into the basement, where Father James began setting up lights. Some of the men stayed behind, leaving their partners to gather supplies while they worked on blocking the windows and doors with the pews.

Esther helped, but her mind was already on what she was going to do once the sun had set.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Tres got back to the Vatican just as the sun was setting. From the mission schedule, Esther was meant to have returned today. He saw the officer stationed at the entrance looking ruffled.

“When am I to report in?” Tres asked him and the officer shook his head.

“All debriefing has been rescheduled. The Reisfal district is under attack. Apparently, someone discovered a Methuselah hideout for one of their gangs and they’ve lashed out. You’re to remain here until they’ve decided what to do. Then you’ll be called for debriefing,” the entrance officer told him, trying to sound as official as possible. Tres paid it no mind.

_‘The first step to becoming a real man is to protect the girl.’_

Tres knew his orders conflicted, but strangely, he felt no conflict at all.

He immediately turned around and left without a word, ignoring the officer’s protests.


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter Eight **

Esther couldn’t believe the situation she was in. Out of the entire village,  _she_ was the one with the most combat experience? It seemed like complete madness to her. The week had been so peaceful.

And now she sat in the belfry, the only open part of the church. She locked the trapdoor behind her, which the best she could do security wise. Esther peered down, trying to see the Methuselah, but it was pretty dark and she was high up. The most she could detect were their voices, catcalling as they leisurely explored the houses.

Esther swallowed. She needed to find out where they were and make sure they left the church alone. The moment they even suspected everyone was in the church, it was going to turn into a war between her and the Methuselah.

She made a decision. Carefully, she began climbing down the belfry, thanking her lucky stars it wasn’t very big. Esther was conscious of making any noise; each of her movements were measured.

“Did those cowards run away?” one of the Methuselah spat, and Esther froze. The voice was still some distance away, but that she clearly heard their words worried her. She slid the last meter onto the roof and crouched before crawling to the edge to look down.

The main area in front of the church, which was usually used for the weekly market, was empty. Esther turned her gaze to the left, and her heart pounded at the sight of the gang of Methuselah down the street. Two of them were kicking at a door, while the rest looking annoyed or bored. There were fifteen in all.

_‘Fifteen?! I’ve never killed one Methuselah, let alone fifteen. Better hope the cavalry arrive, though they never got back to me…’_

It was at this time she had never missed Abel and Tres so much. She was starting to realise how much they really had kept her safe during their travels; now she felt completely exposed. No-one had her back, or could even give her some advice on how to handle the situation. Her training had never dealt with such great numbers, so she was going totally on instinct.

“Nothing here, either. You might be right, Lan, I think they legged it. Shame; I was hungry for some violence. I’m sick of being cooped up in that stupid hole. You’d think we would have our orders by now,” the tall blond male of the group groused, running his tongue over his teeth and snapping his jaw. The female Esther could just make out beside him folded her arms.

“Oh, grow a pair, John. We’ve only been out there a few weeks. You’d have thought we’d spent months there the way you carry on every day.”

Esther quietly checked her pistols while she waited. They were semi-automatic and she’d been given six magazines filled with silver bullets for them, so she had quite a lot of ammo. With a soft sigh she holstered them. It didn’t matter much if she had no confidence in her ability to take anyone down. The last Methuselah she’d encountered had simply caught the bullets, as if his skin was bullet proof. She prayed he was a fluke, or sufficiently prepared, because no-one had mentioned it was a common thing.

She had few options. She needed to get closer for her pistols to be effective, and perhaps she could take one or two down before the others got wind of what was going on.

_‘I don’t have many options.’_

“They couldn’t have left so quickly. There’s no trail indicating an exodus out of the village. They’re hiding. Start torching the houses.”

Esther cringed. Was there really any way to buy time? She shuffled backwards and peered over the side of the roof to see how far down it was. She couldn’t let the village burn down.

_‘Hmm… I probably could get down from here, if I was careful. It’s a little high, but it’s hardly jumping off the Vatican’s Basilica.’_

The drop was about twelve feet.

_‘Twelve feet. That’s like… less than two Abels tall.’_ Somehow the thought didn’t comfort her.Now, if Abel was on the ground, waiting to catch her…

She turned around and slid her legs out down the wall of the church and began slowly lowering herself. The moment she’d gone too far to pull herself up again, she realised this was a bad idea. She dangled, unable to decide whether to look down or not. Panic won over and she looked down. It looked a lot higher up than two Abels.

The urge to scream gripped her, but she stifled it, focusing on landing on her feet as quietly as possible.

_‘One… two…’_

She let go and hit the ground, rolling into the wall of the house next door.

“Did you hear that?” one of the Methuselah suddenly said and Esther mentally cursed. She scrambled to her feet, noticing the twinge in her arm, and ran around the back of the house. She could hear the sound of a building already crackling with flames.

“You’re imagining prey, Fiona,” the one called John said.

“I’m not!” she hissed, and Esther heard approaching footsteps and fumbled for a pistol.

“See? Nothing.” John sounded smug. Esther guessed they were looking around where she dropped down and quickly moved down to the next building, so she could see them from behind. Adrenaline was pumping through his system, making her jittery.

She took a deep breath and peered out from around the house.

“Hey, there.”

Esther shrieked. One of the male Methuselah was standing right in front of her, smirking. What he hadn’t counted on was the pistol in her hand, which she fired point blank, killing him instantly.

“Thomas!”

They rushed toward her as she turned and began running. She couldn’t believe this was happening. One grabbed her hood and yanked her back, pulling her to the ground.

“Not cool, bitch. Thomas was a fun guy.” It was Fiona, who tugged on Esther’s hood off and Esther rolled over, firing again. She only caught Fiona in the stomach, eliciting a loud scream before another of the Methuselah kicked the gun out of her hand.

Esther was dragged up by the throat, her shoes hanging half a foot off the ground.

“What’s a little ol’ nun like you doing with a gun like that?”

Esther kicked him in the stomach, but he just laughed. He was distracted enough to let go of her too late after she pulled out her other pistol and fired into his face.

There was no running; she was surrounded now. The thirteen remaining Methuselah leered down at Esther, backlit by the four houses they’d set on fire.

“It’s going to be fun gutting you,” Fiona spat, drawing forward.

The look of absolute certainty in Fiona’s eyes made Esther realise she was finally in one of those situations with no escape. She’d hardly even lived enough of a life to have it flash before her eyes. She never even got a chance to find answers to all those questions she had…

She closed her eyes, covering her head with her hands. Her body apparently thought she still stood a chance, even while Esther tried to make peace with the world.

“Step away from Esther,” a voice commanded.

Standing behind Fiona, was Tres. Esther could only describe Tres as fearsome right then; his eyes glowing red and guns out. He didn’t wait for a response, and began firing his guns.

Esther cowered until the gunfire stopped and she felt Tres take hold of her arm and pull her to her feet.

“Are you all right, Esther?” Tres said, briefly looking at her before shooting down another attacking Methuselah.

“Y-you didn’t say ‘damage report’,” Esther whispered in wonderment.

“Are you all right?!” he snapped.

“S-Sorry, I’m only a little scratched up. I’ve been really lucky.”

“Affirmative. I will deal with the situation now. You will take refuge in the church and not leave until I return. Do not put yourself in further danger.”

Esther blinked.

“You’re… trying to protect me?”

The look in Tres’ eyes shocked Esther. She’d never seen him look so… intense. She wasn’t sure if the village burning around them simply cast his usually blank face in a different light or what. He lightly pushed her in the direction of the church and turned away, firing his guns.

Esther stood behind him, unsure whether to listen to Tres or not. She was meant to be full fledged AX member now, not a civilian that had to hide away until the fighting died down.

She picked up her kicked away pistol and ran out, taking cover behind a wall. There were five of the fifteen Methuselah still standing. Tres was ahead, walking forward like he was an armoured tank, unloading his guns on the dodging Methuselah. Esther popped her head up and fired at the closest Methuselah, who was off to the side, fiddling with a barrel. Esther gasped when the barrel caught alight and the Methuselah screamed. One of Esther’s bullets had struck it. The Methuselah rolled on the ground, her howls chilling. Tres looked over at the scene, then back at Esther.

“Esther, return to the church immediately!” he commanded, but Esther shook her head.

“Tres, look out!” she yelled.

The cadre of remaining Methuselah began ganging up on Tres, slashing at his legs. Tres leapt away, the blades barely hitting him or just catching the metal plates on his shoes. Esther scrambled forward, keeping her pistols ready. The female Methuselah she’d set on fire had managed to crawl to her feet, but Esther sucked in a breath a put her down in two shots.

This was  _her_ field test, and she was determined to prove herself. The Methuselah couldn’t divide their attention between Tres, who was now surging forward again, and Esther ducking and diving between the various debris littered around. She managed to catch another Methuselah off guard and take him down by shooting his legs. Her marksmanship was still shaky – she’d been aiming for his head and hit his thighs instead – but all that mattered right then was surviving. She shakily finished him off as well, her stomach turning at the sight, and kept moving closer to the three remaining Methuselah. They were sticking together now.

“The girl is weak,” one said, “Take her down!”

Before Esther could decide whether to hide or attack arms clamped around her, dragging her back. She couldn’t move; it was like being wrapped up in iron rods.

“T-Tres!” she cried, kicking her legs.

“You have done enough,” he said. Esther stopped struggling. Was he trying to sound… comforting? He removed one of his arms to provide cover fire, making the Methuselah scatter while he got her back to the church.

He let her go and leaned down so he was level with her.

“Esther, your field test was not meant to be this difficult. Even high ranking officers would find this situation complex. I will handle the rest. You need to aid the civilians,” he explained. His initial approach had failed. He did not know why he knew that this way of speaking to her would be more successful, but that could be reviewed later.

“Okay,” Esther relented, and went around the back. She’d been given the key to the back door of the church, so she could get in if necessary. Once inside, she headed to the basement. Frightened faces stared.

“It’s alright,” Esther said, “Only me. The Methuselah problem is almost taken care of – another Vatican member came to back me up. The more pressing problem is some of the houses caught fire and we need to put them out.”

Father James and the other men came forward.

“Let’s go,” said Father James, and dashed to grab a bucket. Esther hurried outside and Tres marched over to her.

“Targets eliminated.”

Esther gave a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. Thank you so much, Tres.”

It was as she was looking at what happened clearly for the first time. She’d almost died. She swallowed, trying to hold tears back.

“Are you all right, Esther? Your complexion is paler than normal.”

Esther silently shook her head and hugged Tres tight.

“I’m just glad you came. T-They were going to kill me and I couldn’t fight back.”

Tres mechanically returned her hug.

“It is over now.”

Esther let him go and backed away, rubbing her eyes.

“Yeah. You’re right. There’s no point losing it now. We’ve got to put the fires out.”

Tres nodded.

“I shall assist.”

It took the rest of the night to put the fires out. Only two of the houses were completely unsalvageable. The whole village pulled together, Father James taking charge of the operation. Tres and Esther obediently helped passing buckets from the well to the fires.

Everyone cheered when the last fire was extinguished. Esther went over to Father James, followed by Tres.

“I’m so sorry about the houses,” she apologised, but Father James shook his head.

“I’m just glad you’re safe Esther. Is this the man who helped you?”

Esther gave a start.

“Sorry, this is Tres Iqus, a fellow AX agent. He got here just in time.”

Father James smiled and extended a hand.

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping Esther.”

Tres shook his hand and stepped back beside Esther. She felt like he was being protective of her, which was stirring feelings she really shouldn’t be having.

“There is no need to thank me; I was only doing my duty.”

And back to square one. Esther put it aside, though, and just smiled.

“Just ignore him – he’s always like that. I wanted to thank you for the time I spent here. It was really lovely. I have to report back to the Vatican, though. They don’t like it when field operatives report in late.”

Father James nodded.

“I understand. You’re always welcome here, Esther.”

Esther felt her heart swell. She hugged Father James, whose eyes widened in shock, but returned it.

“Goodbye, Father James.”

“Take care, Esther.”

Esther went into the church, picked up her bag and walked out. Tres was waiting for her by the main archway into the village. She drew up beside him.

“Tres?” she said, looking up at him.

“What is it, Esther?”

She linked arms with him, completely exhausted.

“Let’s go home,” she said and promptly collapsed.


	9. Chapter 9

** Chapter Nine **

Tres had caught Esther with ease, before swiftly checking her vitals. She had fallen asleep after being up for over twenty-four hours straight. Once he’d established she was stable, he began marching back to Rome.

The journey had been unremarkable. Tres had reflected on how he knew to talk to Esther so she would cooperate and surmised the accumulation of data on her had created a profile that suggested that was the best approach. Where this profile resided, though, was a mystery yet to be investigated.

It was almost evening when he reached Rome. Esther woke up half a mile before they arrived, had blushed finding herself in Tres’ arms and insisted she walk the rest of the way. Tres had reluctantly agreed, sternly warning her on overexerting herself.

“Gunslinger, you are to report immediately to Lady Caterina,” an officer said the moment Tres had set foot in the Vatican. He had simply nodded and headed to her office, leaving Esther to gape.

“Uh, excuse me, but did Father Tres do something wrong?” she asked and the officer huffed.

“If you consider directly disobeying orders to track you down, then yes he did. I swear that robot is broken,” the man replied, clearly annoyed.

“Oh, and you have to go and be debriefed. Lady Caterina wants to speak to you personally.”

Esther internally gibbered, but nodded and hurried to her office. She wasn’t permitted entry; Tres was inside. The walls and doors were thick and Esther couldn’t hear a thing.

_‘Perhaps she’s not shouting at him? I guess Lady Caterina doesn’t seem like someone who’d shout a lot. Tres doesn’t really shout either – he just speaks loudly.’_

It took half an hour for whatever exchange took place between Caterina and Tres. He exited, expressionless and headed in the direction of his room without acknowledging her.

“You may enter now, Sister Blanchett,” a nun informed her and Esther hopped up from her seat, scared witless. Was she going to be punished?

She entered Caterina’s office, making sure to close the door. Caterina was standing, looking troubled.

“Ah, Sister Blanchett. Please take a seat.”

Esther scurried over and sat down, swallowing. Caterina paced around her office.

“Please illustrate the events that took place this past eight days.”

Esther nodded and explained about the Methuselah attack and how Tres had turned up after all hell had broken loose and saved her life. She decided Caterina probably didn’t want to know she’d collapsed and been carried back by Tres.

“I see.”

Caterina paced some more, looking thoughtful.

“And he didn’t mention he’d disobeyed orders?” Caterina asked and Esther violently shook her head.

“He didn’t say a thing – he just turned up and took control of the disaster and we left. Everyone was fine. S-should I have not left my post? I was meant to leave yesterday, but I suppose I shouldn’t have since they’d been attacked. No-one got hurt – I made sure they had barricaded themselves in. Oh no, I messed up, didn’t I?!” she fretted. Was she going to have the record for shortest time as a member of AX?

Caterina shook her head.

“Calm yourself, girl. You performed admirably, given the circumstances. Any relief the parish may need will be seen to by someone else. What concerns me is what drove Father Tres to disobey. Do you have any insights at all, Sister Blanchett?” Caterina was studying Esther closely, while Esther tried to think of anything. She came up blank.

“We’re… a trio?” she lamely suggested, “I mean, Abel, Tres and I travelled for a while together. Maybe he thinks we’re a unit?”

It sounded pretty dumb. Caterina took it in.

“Hm.” She sounded as convinced as Esther felt, “You may go. I wouldn’t get too comfortable, though. There’s a mission coming up soon and we have you in mind for it.”

Esther got to her feet and bowed, hurrying out. Another mission? Esther felt like that first was almost enough for her. But she was tired and frazzled from the whole fiasco. She returned to her room and rested.

* * *

Over the next few days, she couldn’t find Tres anywhere and the mission ledger clearly listed him as being in the Vatican. She suspected he’d been taken off missions for a bit after the whole disobeying thing. What worried her was what they were doing with him while he wasn’t out in the field. She’d visited his room several times to find it empty, which only managed to ratchet up her concern.

But on the fourth day, he reappeared in his room.

“Tres!” she exclaimed, hugging him tight.

“What is wrong, Esther?”

She pulled back, thumping his chest.

“What is wrong –  _what is wrong_ ?!” she shrieked, “You disappeared after getting told off, or whatever! That’s what was wrong! I was beginning to think that Lady Caterina had decided to have you dismantled!”

She breathed heavily and tried to calm down. Tres shut his door and offered Esther a seat before taking one himself. Esther stood for several moments before finally sitting down beside him.

“I was reprimanded and sent to the labs for testing. But there is nothing wrong with me, so I am free to return to duty,” he told her.

It was fear, Esther realised she’d been feeling; real fear Tres was being taken away. With Abel gone so much, Tres was the only person she really knew in the Vatican. And he’d disobeyed orders to protect her.

_‘I’m not going mad; he was showing emotions when he rescued me.’_

She was getting closer to the truth; she could feel it.

“Well… why did you do it?” she finally asked, watching Tres carefully.

“It is my duty to protect people. I was informed of an altercation and set out to rectify it.” He was completely expressionless.

“But you were expressly told not to go, right?”

“Affirmative. I performed calculations based on the information I received and predicted you and those in the area would be dead by dawn without immediate intervention. So I intervened to conserve life.”

Esther didn’t know what to say to that. She was glad he ‘intervened’, as he put it, but it didn’t explain precisely why.

_‘How far should I push it?’_ She debated with herself for a few minutes before opening his mouth again.

“Tres… that doesn’t answer the question of  _why_ . Surely it wouldn’t matter what calculations you did if you were told not to go. You thought that saving lives was more important than the orders given to you.”

“You are trying to imply that I wanted you spared over all else. I must try to preserve life. A large factor was who gave me the orders. If Lady Caterina herself had issued the orders directly to me, I would not have gone.”

He wasn’t looking at her, and his speech put Esther on edge. She stood up, getting annoyed.

“Are you accusing me of trying to force emotions on you?” she said, affronted.

Tres gave her a blank look.

“I accuse you of nothing.”

Esther huffed and stormed out. Why was he always like that?

* * *

She didn’t speak with or see Tres for the next few days. Which was good, she decided, since it gave her time to cool off. Just as she thought she was getting closer to understanding what Tres was all about, he always seemed to steer the conversation is such a way that infuriated her, or disappointed her.

With a sigh, she left the firing range. Her arms were aching from the constant recoil from repeatedly unloading her pistols. Her aim was improving, and she was determined not to be a liability, especially after the Reisfal incident. She’d been having nightmares about almost being devoured by that gang of Methuselah ever since she’d got back and never wanted to repeat it.

“Sister Esther?” someone asked. Esther looked up to see a priest coming over.

“Yes, that’s me,” she responded and the priest nodded.

“Excellent. Lady Caterina wants you in her office. A mission is prepared for you,” he said. Esther nodded and he left. She quickly made her way to Caterina’s office and was shown right in.

“Ah, Esther,” said Caterina, looking up from a pile of papers, “Have a seat.”

Esther sat down, nervous. What kind of mission was awaiting her?

“A shady group has formed a business in Albion and we believe they are connected to the Rosenkreuz Orden, one of our greatest threats. You and Tres are to pose as a businessman and his assistant and infiltrate the group and learn as much as possible,” said Caterina, holding Esther’s gaze, which made Esther a little uncomfortable. Esther really didn’t like the idea of Tres pretending to be anything other than an android.

“Does it really have to be Tres? What about Abel?” she asked. She still hadn’t seen him in months and it was becoming depressing to think she might not see him again.

“He’s too well known for this type of mission, especially those involving the Rosenkreuz Orden. And you know very well he has been assigned a mission already.”

Esther was starting to get a little resentful of that mission ledger.

“Then…” she desperately tried to think of someone else, but her mind was blank.

“Tres will do. He is programmed with the correct procedures. You will be briefed given your outfits and travel documents together at twelve. Dismissed,” Catherina waved Esther away. Flustered, Esther bowed and left.

The last time she’d ended up with Tres, he’d been reprimanded. She’d already caused him enough trouble, already. And she was still a little mad at him. Still, she knew Tres would ensure they made it back in one piece, which reassured her.

A mission in Albion… it was too good to be true… Abel’s explanation that Tres was shipped from Albion rang in her head. It seemed Tres had been created in Albion, apparently as a tool for his master’s rebellion. Esther wondered what Tres would be like as a rebel, then abandoned the idea. He seemed indifferent to his missions; he would be the same for rebel missions as well. He’d said as much in her previous conversations; all that mattered was obeying his masters’ orders. But where did her first mission put him?

With a faint heating of her face, she recalled how it felt to have Tres pull her out of harm’s way, arms wrapped tight around her. He’d been so adamant on keeping her safe, when they shared the same job, now. Somehow, she couldn’t quite convince herself that his actions were solely the execution of a simple program, curse her heart.

It was only half an hour before twelve, so she sat outside the briefing room, listlessly staring out of the window at the grounds. Before she knew it, she heard the familiar stomp of Tres’ heavy frame marching along.

She tried to ignore him, but he came to sit beside her.

“Good day, Esther,” he said, and Esther folded her arms.

“I guess.”

He said nothing in reply, though did look at her, as if analysing her expression.

“Is something wrong, Esther?” he finally asked and Esther sighed before turning to face him.

“Yes, Tres. What’s wrong with me is  _you_ .” She was feeling incredibly uncooperative; why should she have to tell him every single problem she had with him, when he should be able to work it out himself. Why could he never  _understand_ ?!

“Your phrasing is confusing. You are suggesting that I have affected your wellbeing in some way?”

_‘It’s the job of people around him to explain, otherwise he’ll never learn. He has no proper point of reference,’_ a particularly annoying little voice in the back of her head whispered and Esther finally calmed down.

“No, Tres, not precisely. Our argument we had last time has been bothering me. I’m angry at you, because you said things… I didn’t like,” she admitted, deciding to finally open her heart a little, “I suppose… perhaps on reflection… I was suggesting you went after me because it was me. You, Abel and I… well, I think of us as a trio. I don’t have anyone else, now. I would rush out if I heard you or Abel were in trouble in a heartbeat. It wouldn’t matter if I was told to stay behind, or I’m not strong enough, because you two are all I have left to depend on.”

She sighed heavily, feeling sombre.

“Tres… what I mean to say is, it doesn’t matter what I think, really. Your motives are your own. I’m just glad you saved me. Can we be friends?”

She held out her hand and Tres watched her for several moments before shaking it.

“We are friends, Esther.”

It was the most reliving thing he had ever said – even more than when he’d told those Methuselah to step away from her. He sounded almost normal. As normal as Tres got.

Esther grinned.

“Good. Now, shouldn’t our briefing be now?”

“Affirmative. The current briefing must be longer than they anticipated.”

“Who’s in there?” Esther began to ask, but suddenly the door opened.

“Why must I return  _there_ ?! I almost froze to death up there last time! You wouldn’t do that to poor old me?!” a familiarly overdramatic voice cried. Esther leapt up.

“Abel!” she shouted and before her brain could do anything, her body threw herself into Abel’s arms. He blinked and instinctively held on to her.

“Esther? Esther! I haven’t seen you in… I couldn’t even say!” Abel said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

“Have you been running from me, Abel? You’re always out on missions!” Esther joked, but then narrowed her eyes. Abel looked a little too sheepish for Esther to think it had all been some terrible happenstance he’d been sent out on so many missions.

“Uh… well…” he fumbled, letting go of her in favour of nervously stepping back.

“Abel…” Esther implored. Her heart was pounding. His absence was her fault?

“You’ve been very  _inquisitive_ , Esther,” he finally said, looking sad.

_‘He was watching me!’_

It all made sense now. She knew he’d been reluctant about his past, but to go this far…

She felt sick.

“I won’t… I won’t pry again. I swear.” It was all she could think to say. She felt like she’d been slapped.

Abel put his hands on her shoulders. The glimmer in his eyes made Esther want to cry.

“I know. I have to go, though. Work calls. We’ll have to talk when we both get back, alright?” he said, looking serious. Esther mutely nodded and Abel let her go and left.

Esther felt so flustered and ashamed she’d been caught red-handed. So much for secretly trying to research Abel’s background. She should have given him more credit. Had he disappeared before or after she’d started hanging out in the archives? She couldn’t recall.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, making her jump.

“Esther, are you all right? We must go in for the briefing,” said Tres and Esther relaxed.

“I’m fine,” she lied, not wanting to deal with the situation right then, “Let’s go in.”

* * *

The briefing had been pretty basic; go to a nearby city that dealt with continental transport so they weren’t suspicious, and head to Albion. Get into the business district and get in with this new, possibly Rosenkreuz controlled company. They’d been furnished with tickets, appropriate clothing and weaponry. Before Esther knew it, she was changing and sitting on a train to the city where to continental airships gathered.

Tres sat on the seat opposite. Esther smirked, trying not to laugh. He looked so strange not in his usual outfit. He was wearing a suit and his top hat sat beside him, along with a cane. Esther was distinctly reminded of William.

As for herself, she was in a knee length navy skirt with a suit jacket and white shirt underneath. She’d never worn such an outfit, but found it tight and uncomfortable compared to her usual habit.

“Tres, are you sure you can act like a businessman?” Esther asked for the hundredth time.

“I can operate accurately as many different individuals,” he replied as he had all the other times Esther had asked. No matter what she asked, his mechanical answers didn’t reassure her in the least.

Part of her stress was her worrying over what had taken place between herself and Abel, and she was just taking it out on Tres. But she couldn’t get the look Abel had on his face when he’d spoken to her out of her head. He had looked so sad, and a little scared. If she’d known her poking about was going to cause this much upset, she would have left it all alone, curiosity be damned.

The rest of the train journey was spent in silence, Esther still torturing herself over Abel. Tres only spoke when the train stopped and he stood, looking down at Esther while putting his top hat on.

“We must hurry. We have seven hundred and eighty seconds until our flight departs,” he informed her.

Esther got up, quickly doing the math in her head.

“Thirteen minutes. You know, businessmen don’t time things in seconds,” she said, getting up and following Tres.

“Then I shall amend my timekeeping,” he said, and Esther blinked.

“As easy as that?” she murmured to herself, staring at his back as they walked.

* * *

Their quarters were beside each other on the large transport ship. It was already evening and they weren’t to arrive in Albion until the morning. Esther decided she had been pleasantly shocked to see Tres in something other than his uniform. She’d  begun to think the thing was glued to him, considering she’d never seen him in anything else.

A part of her brain speculated what he looked like without his uniform and her face began to grow hot. She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath.

_‘I’m being stupid. I just want to find out the truth.’_

She stood up and went to Tres’ door, hovering for a moment before gathering herself together and knocking.

“Come in.”

For some reason, the fact his tone remained the same reassured her, as if her thoughts were nullified by his mere presence. Her thoughts were just thoughts, and would never be borne into the real world.

So it came as quite a shock when she entered, closed the door and turned around to find Tres half naked, mechanically towelling his sopping hair.

“T-Tres! Y-Your hair!” she exclaimed, unable to think of anything else to say. Somehow, ‘Tres, you’re half naked!’ wasn’t a good substitute.

Esther straightened, just noticing she’d pressed herself against the door, and took a step forward.

“Did you… have a shower?” she questioned, very carefully coming closer.

Tres nodded. He was sitting on a chair, wearing a pair of loose black trousers, but his torso was bare. A few rivulets of water had escaped his towelling and run down his body. Esther blinked, unsure what to do.

“Affirmative. Even an android requires cleaning. This is the most convenient method available,” he explained, halting his hair drying.

Esther finally drew up beside him.

“Uh, I can dry your hair for you, if you want,” she offered, “I’m feeling at kind of a loss over what to do with myself, so I want to keep my hands busy. The devil finds work for idle hands and all that, you know?”

“If you wish,” he said, and handed the towel over.

Esther stared at the towel. She hadn’t seriously thought he would simply let her mess about with his hair. She looked at him; it was odd being at eye level, since he just watched her, utterly unconcerned. His hair was plastered against his face, just reaching the bottom of his ears.

She carefully put the towel on his head and began to rub.

“I really had to get out of my room. It was too empty,” she chattered, desperate to fill the silence.

“We have more than sufficient furnishings and facilities for a long-haul flight to Albion.”

Esther sighed, moving to tend to the back of his head.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m the only person in there. There’s no-one to talk to, or just spend time with. I hate being alone,” she confessed, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“I am not a person.”

There it was; those words justifying that sensation of incoming depression.

“Don’t say that!” she snapped, tousling his hair a little rougher, “You  _are_ a person; I’m sure of it! That’s part of the reason we’re heading to Albion – to find out the truth!”

She stopped and pulled the towel off his head. His hair was as dry as it was going to get with a now damp towel, and was now sticking out in random directions. Esther waited for him to say something. He turned his head to look at her.

“That is true. But you may simply prove that I am nothing but a machine. What will you do then?” he replied.

She threw the towel on the dresser and planted her hands on her hips.

“I just know you’re not just a machine,” she sounded as resolute as possible.

“But how do you ‘just know’?” Tres questioned, tilting his head.

Esther grew frustrated. In a fit of anger and determination to try and prove her point, she moved and straddled him, putting her hands on his shoulders so she didn’t fall back. He looked at her, impassive.

“Don’t you feel anything in this position?” Esther asked, watching him, waiting for his face to falter – something! She could already feel her cheeks reddening.

“I feel the weight of you sitting on me, Esther,” he replied, and Esther groaned in frustration. She leaned forward and lightly head butted him. It was the first time she’d come into physical contact with his bare skin. His forehead felt extremely warm and slightly synthetic, like a soft plastic, or rubber, she wasn’t sure.

“I don’t understand you at all, Tres,” she sighed, leaning back, “You act all strange when those Methuselah attacked in that village and I was the only line of defence, you suddenly agree to help me find out about your creation with no qualms after we have a massive argument… I don’t know what to make of you, Tres.”

“There is nothing to ‘make of me’. I am simply myself.”

A slight smirk appeared on Esther’s lips.

“Surely giving yourself a ‘self’ isn’t something a machine traditionally does is it?” she suggested and Tres nodded.

“No, it is not. Perhaps your argument is more valid than I thought.”

Esther felt a little put out.

“You gave up very easily. I’m kind of disappointed.”

Tres tilted his head again.

“Why?”

Esther sighed.

“Because it means I probably can’t hang out here much longer. I’ll have to go back to my room and sleep or something.”

She realised she was getting way too comfortable on Tres’ lap and went to get up, but Tres took hold of her arms.

“You are welcome to stay here, Esther, if your fear of being alone is so great. It would not do you good to be under more stress than necessary during this mission. You may use the bed provided for me, since I will not be requiring it,” he told her, and Esther’s mouth fell open.

“Are you serious?”

“I am always serious, Esther.”

It sounded almost like a joke to her. To distract herself, she got up, reached out and began pushing his hair into its usual style. It reminded her of better times, when she’d fuss over the kids that came into the church back in Istvan. Esther let her mind wander. She felt like she hadn’t been able to properly relax in a long time. Something always interrupted. That week in the Reisfal parish was the last time she wasn’t stressed out or angry.

“Esther, I believe my hair is sufficiently tended to,” said Tres, making Esther jump.

“Oh, sorry! I got completely distracted.”

She stepped back, putting a little distance between them.

“Um… I’m going to grab my bedclothes,” she said before hurrying off.

_‘What am I doing?_ ’

It was Tres who was offering this company, Esther firmly reassured herself. Then why was she getting so worked up about it?

By the time she got the courage to return, covered from the neck down in a long nightdress and a heavy dressing gown, Tres was fully dressed in his business clothes again sitting on the chair he’d been in before.

Esther was beginning to think this was a bad idea, but she couldn’t completely articulate why. She took off the dressing gown and carefully climbed into the untouched bed, tugging the tightly tucked sheets out so she could get in. She felt a little better once she was settled in the bed. Tres stood and turned the lights off, making Esther tense again. She saw his shadowed form return to his seat.

“So… you’re just going to sit there?” she whispered.

“Affirmative. There is no call to perform any duties currently,” he responded.

The silence stretched on.

“… Do you know any stories?” she asked. She caught a faint red glow in his eyes and he turned his head to look in her direction.

“I know many stories. Why do you ask?”

“I thought maybe you could tell me one? To help me sleep?”

_‘Anything to ease this weird situation. I should have just sucked my loneliness up.’_

“Very well.”

And to her shock, he began reciting one of his and Abel’s adventures. Their first meeting, it unfolded as he spoke. Esther smiled and snuggled into a comfortable position. Any trace of awkwardness was now gone, replaced by interest at Tres’ story.

But before Tres got to the thrilling conclusion, Esther’s eyes had grown heavy and she slipped into a dream of running and gunning, awkward conversation and explosions.


	10. Chapter 10

** Chapter Ten **

Esther awoke disorientated. She felt panicked at first, quickly sitting up and looking around.

“Are you all right, Esther?”

Her head snapped to the right where Tres was sitting. She suddenly remembered he’d been sitting there when she’d fallen asleep. Hadn’t he moved for all those hours?

“Uh, yes, I’m fine, thank you. Are we there yet?” she asked, sliding out of bed and stretching.

“It is approximately one hour and seven minutes until we are scheduled to land.”

“Oh! I better get ready!”

She dashed back to her room, feeling less conscious of herself than last night. A good night’s rest had done her a lot of good, she decided as she washed and dressed. She pulled on one of changes of clothes, this time a grey skirt and suit jacket with a navy shirt, and checked the time. They still had another half an hour. She picked up her bag of belongings and went to knock on Tres’ door.

“Come in.”

She entered to find everything packed. The room looked untouched.

_‘Did he make the bed?’_ she observed. He made no sense to her a great deal of the time. Speaking of Tres, he was standing by his bag, unruffled.

“Should we head to the exit, so we’re first off the airship?” Esther asked and Tres nodded.

“There is no need to remain here. The quicker we progress with our mission, the quicker we may return to the Vatican.”

Esther sighed. The Vatican was not a home for her. It felt cold and somehow empty, even while filled with people. She wasn’t entirely sure whether she could perhaps one day make it a home. Only time would really tell, she knew.

“Yes,” was all she could think to say. They headed to the main hall, where the exit was located. Many people had the same idea as they did, and were milling about. Esther could feel this was the beginning of something; whether for good or ill. She moved through the crowd, drinking in the anticipation of finally getting onto land again.

Tres did not follow her, instead standing in a corner and watching from afar.

Eventually Esther could feel the airship going down and returned to Tres’ side. She supposed it wouldn’t’ do for an ‘assistant’ to be doing whatever she pleased, as much as the notion irritated her. She always seemed to end up playing second fiddle to someone else.

“Now disembarking at Londinium Airport,” the speakers crackled and Esther looked out of a nearby porthole. It was foggy, so there wasn’t much she could see, to her disappointment.

They were allowed off the airship and Tres marched forward, followed by Esther. She tried to pull her jacket closer. It was a bit cold in Albion; colder than Esther had expected. They got out of the airport relatively quickly and Tres began telling Esther that they should get their bearings at the hotel they’d been assigned. Esther simply nodded and followed, feeling that her role really wasn’t so far removed from an assistant, to her annoyance.

The hotel turned out to be neither upmarket nor completely shabby. She supposed this was AX’s idea of nondescript, or perhaps a place befitting of a businessman and assistant. Tres checked them in with no problems, making sure their rooms were close together, and the ascended a few flights of stairs to their rooms.

Esther dumped her bag and sat on the bed. Tres soon knocked on her door and entered without her even saying anything.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked. She felt a strange push and pull between wanting to be difficult and help. She only had a cursory knowledge of what they were meant to be doing, while Tres appeared cool and in control, which bothered her. She never felt like she knew what was going on at the best of times.

Tres stood just down from the door, arms stoically folded.

“We must try and establish contact with the group as soon as possible,” he told her. Esther decided that being difficult would help no-one and she looked over at Tres, recalling the papers they’d seen before leaving.

“We’re looking for a Bruce Kingsley. He’s the leader, right?”

Tres nodded.

“That is the most intelligence we currently possess. He has a group, though the number is unknown. It will not be hard to find Kingsley, though; he will be stationed at the factory in which he is listed on the lease. If he is truly being commanded by Rosenkreuz, then he will not stray far.”

Esther pulled out a map of Londinium, finding the business district. Their intel had listed the location, which took her a few minutes to find.

“It doesn’t look too far,” she said, moving her finger along the paper streets to where their hotel was.

“We should leave now. It is customary to stop at this time of day for lunch. They may decide this is an acceptable time to leave,” he told her, heading for the door.

Esther put the map away and picked up the briefcase she was meant to carry as Tres’ assistant, though it contained nothing of consequence. They left the hotel and Tres put his top hat back on and gave his cane a mechanical twirl; it looked a little too perfect to Esther’s eyes.

“And you’re absolutely sure you can pull this act off?” she implored one last time. There was just a part of her that needed to ask once more before accepting whatever came after.

“I am already initiating the necessary program,” he replied and she nodded. It would have to do.

Esther admired the foreign landscape of Londinium as they walked through the streets. The overall colour seemed to be grey; misty grey streets lined with stony grey walls. The streets themselves were narrow compared to other places she’d passed through, and positively bustling with people, many who appeared to be in a great hurry. She got knocked about a few times by stray elbows, shooting people slight glares as she hurried on.

But eventually they made it and Esther began to tense up. This was it. The business district was clean, though some smoke from the nearby industrial district floated overhead, creating a light smog. Tres purposefully moved forward and Esther trotted after him, trying not to lose him in the crowd.

Tres reached the front of a warehouse that looked pretty much like the others. A small office was tacked on at the front of each of them. Beside the office was the massive main entrance, which was partially open; only one door needed to be open to create a large entrance. Just inside, sitting outside the office door, was a man surrounded by other men, who appeared to be joking around. They immediately silenced the moment the sitting man set his eyes on Tres and Esther.

Tres drew forward, extending a hand and tucking his cane under his arm.

“I am Charles Thorpe, and this is my assistant, Marylyn. I am looking to go into business. The business district have been talking about your new venture with quite some positivity,” Tres introduced himself.

The apparent leader of the group gave them a shrewd look, ignoring the hand.

“Thorpe. Of the Thorpe Estates down on Elmsbrook?” he enquired, leaning back in his chair. Esther didn’t like how relaxed he was, as if he was playing around with them. Her hand itched to grab her concealed pistol, but she stayed it.

“No,” Tres smoothly replied, “There are no such estates owned by me. I am not here to mess about, Mister Kingsley.”

Kingsley’s eyes widened, then narrowed. He had straightened and looked almost frightened, to Esther’s satisfaction. They didn’t have time to mess around with a bunch of goons.

“How do you know me?”

Tres leaned forward, holding Kingsley’s eyes.

“News spreads quickly when a new business venture with potential comes into town. I like to be well informed before diving in, naturally.”

Esther was pretty blown away by Tres’ behaviour and phrasing. His face remained impassive, but that played up the cool as a cucumber businessman he appeared to be playing.

Kingsley grunted and stood up.

“You interest me,” he decided, finally extending a hand. Tres cordially shook it.

“And your business venture interests me. Would you care to discuss it over lunch?” he asked and Kingsley nodded.

“Your partnership is welcome, but I can’t meet today. Tomorrow at noon, at the Man on the Moon?” Kingsley replied and Tres nodded.

“I shall be there. Until then…” he tipped his hat and turned around, “Come on, Marylyn, don’t dawdle.”

Tres left the warehouse, and Esther gave the men a brief tight smile before quickly trotting after him. She felt strangely exhilarated at their successful first contact. Eyes followed them as they disappeared around the corner and returned to the hotel.

* * *

“So, what do you think, Tres?” Esther asked, pacing around the cramped room. They had spent some time at the hotel restaurant, as Esther was starving before eventually heading back to her room. Tres had gone to his spot in the corner and remained motionless.

“I have assessed that group are not particularly troublesome. They will likely inadvertently give us information on the Rosenkreuz Orden, proving a useful source.”

Esther sighed, stopping at the window. Everything was grey and dismal outside; a light drizzle flecking the four small window panes.

“Tres… I’m sorry for questioning your ability to act. You were really good; it was so strange to watch you,” she confessed, turning to look at him.

“I did only what I was programmed to do. I have pretended to be a businessman several times before. It has become routine.”

Esther merely nodded and looked out of the window again. It pained her right then to look at him. He always sounded so brusque and there was a part of her that always got a little upset over it. She was used to naturally forming bonds with people, gaining friendships or enmity. But Tres had said they were friends, yet she couldn’t quite believe it by the way he spoke at times.

“We should take a look around the premises and see if there is anything of interest there. Perhaps paperwork, or they may be operating at night,” Tres suddenly voiced.

Esther nodded and sat on her bed.

“I better rest, then. I’m really tired,” she admitted.

“Very well. I shall awaken you in six hours,” he said and left.

Esther found resting more difficult than she thought, the events of the day turning over in her head.

* * *

“Esther, it is time for us to depart.”

Esther jumped, eyes popping open in shock. She didn’t even remember falling asleep.

_‘I guess I was more tired than I realised.’_

Tres was still in his business outfit, but was checking his guns. Esther got up and brushed her suit down, wondering how he got into her room.

_‘Must be getting careless.’_

“Do I have to keep wearing this? It’s not easy to move in if something happens,” she explained and Tres holstered his guns and looked at her.

“It would be difficult to explain our presence if we are discovered in our AX attire. You are allowed to deface your clothing to enhance your performance in the event of an attack,” he told her and Esther gaped.

“To begin with – why do you even know stuff like that? And secondly, even if I were in some life threatening situation, I could not tear this material to ‘enhance’ my performance. That just sounds creepy.” She had a wavering image of her desperately trying to rip her skirt so she could run faster while formless enemies advanced.

Tres headed to the door.

“We must leave before the optimum time frame for investigating their warehouse is lost.”

“Yeah, I thought as much,” Esther muttered to herself, making sure she had a pistol on hand before following him.

It was a half an hour walk to the warehouse. It would have been much less, but Tres insisted on keeping out of sight, taking a myriad of back alleys and routes around people loitering in the streets.

When they arrived, sidling in the shadows, Tres halted at the side entrance and began carefully prying the door with his bare hands. Esther knew he was strong, but to see him peel back the metal door so he could unlock it and enter was bizarre to witness. He carefully bent the metal back once they’d gained entrance before stepping inside.

It was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the small number of dirty windows near the front entrance where the main street was lined with gas lights. Tres moved forward with ease, so Esther scurried behind him, keeping an eye on where her feet stepped. He headed to the office at the front of the warehouse, prying open another door, and began searching through papers.

“Uh, I can’t see, Tres.”

“Affirmative. We must remain as unobtrusive as possible. If there are individuals here without our knowledge, they should not even realise our presence,” he said, quietly for Tres, still methodically glancing through various papers and files strewn about. Esther realised they didn’t keep a very tidy office, or hid anything very well.

“You’d think they’d thrown a party in here, the way things are organised,” she whispered.

“Negative. I believe any pertinent data has been removed from this location.”

Esther’s eyes widened.

“It seems they were in a hurry. Do you think they ran off after meeting us?”

Tres straightened.

“I do not know. We must keep searching, in case they concealed information elsewhere.”

Esther bit her lip for a moment before leaving the office and carefully edging towards the main body of the warehouse was. It still seemed to be the same as what she’d glimpsed during the day; masses of wooden crates piled us either side of the walls, leaving a large corridor to walk down. It made Esther nervous doing this in the dark. She felt strangely exposed, as if people could be watching from on top of the crates.

Suddenly Tres gripped her arm, making her stop.

“We have been compromised,” he said, lightly tugging her backwards. Esther got annoyed and tore her arm out of his grip.

“What are you talking about?” she hissed, stepping forward again. This time, her shoes came into contact with something soft on the floor and she froze.

“I will turn on the lights,” was all Tres said and disappeared off to the side.

_‘Wasn’t he just harping on about remaining undetected?’_ she fretted.

Sparse lighting came on, creating pools of shadows all over the place. But Esther could only fix her eyes on what lay before her.

“What… what happened here?” Esther unsteadily breathed, taking a step backwards.

The entire group had been butchered, incomplete bodies lying in a sickeningly large pool of blood. Esther kept unconsciously moving backwards, her eyes wide with fright. It was only when she heard the sound of footsteps that she stilled, waiting for the perpetrator. She could hear Tres, who now stood just behind her, take his guns out of their holsters.

A man emerged from the shadows, face spattered in blood.

“Oh, hello.” A smile curved upon his lips.

Esther couldn’t believe it.

“Dietrich…”


	11. Chapter 11

** Chapter Eleven **

Esther’s voice was strangled with horror. She couldn’t take the visual information before her in. Her brain was just shutting down; from shock or horror she did not know.

“Esther.” The way Dietrich always had said her name made her shiver. It felt like a lifetime ago when she had thought it had been a sign of her harbouring a crush on him; now she knew it was fear.

“D-Dietrich… why…?” she managed to choke out. Dietrich speaking her name had somehow jolted her back into action, though she felt like lying down and never getting up again. Nervously, she took another step back. Her shoes were already soaked in blood.

Dietrich kept smiling, slightly raising an eyebrow when Esther backed off.

“You came here all the way just for me?” Dietrich sweetly asked, coming closer. Tres’ guns were instantly pointed at him.

“No, Tres!” Esther cried, “Let him talk.”

She needed information. That one thought had flared like a beacon in her mind. Information was key.

“Esther, Dietrich von Lohengrin is one of AX’s top priority criminals. He must be brought in for questioning. If that objective is not achieved, then he must be eliminated.”

Dietrich’s smile broadened and he lightly pointed to himself.

“Me? I’m touched. All you have to do is ask.”

“Because you’ve always been so truthful with me so far,” snapped Esther. She could feel her confidence growing again. The presence of Tres by her side was keeping her focused. If she kept Dietrich talking and potentially giving them information meant Tres would be less likely to act. It was a tightrope walk, but Esther was willing to chance it.

Dietrich sighed.

“I love it when you get angry, Esther.”

“Stop teasing me! Why are you here?!”

He gave her that infuriating, knowing smile she hated.

“Perhaps a little bird told me to come.”

She knew he was goading her, but she was too angry to stop herself from arguing with him. She’d take anger over fear any day.

“Then why would you kill these people?! Weren’t they your allies?”

“I couldn’t have them tell you anything. I volunteered to bear the sorry deed.”

“You’re not sorry at all!”

Dietrich chuckled.

“You’re right; I’m really not. Those men knew what they had got themselves into, the rewards… and the unfortunate risks.”

“Dietrich,” she could feel her willpower cracking under the pressure, “please… were you really ordered to do this? Why have those men come here at all?”

“Perhaps Rosenkreuz like to keep an eye on things. Perhaps they like to make sure certain individuals can be observed out of their element. That’s all I will say on the matter. But, oh, once I knew you were on the case, Esther…” Dietrich breathed, eyes glimmering.

Esther felt sick to her stomach. It was a trap all along and they’d walked right into in without batting an eyelash.

“Why me?” she asked, barely audible. Dietrich’s smile was positively beatific.

“Because I love you,” he declared, twisting his arms around his thin torso, “I love you so much… I want to see you crack and break under my hands, Esther. I love you with such passion, that I’ll take any mission that brings me closer to you… closer to that abyss I want us to jump into together. Don’t you feel it, when we’re close? That yearning, that pull?” he said, his voice low and silky with desire.

“You just want me to suffer,” she snapped, feeling the pricks of tears in her eyes.

“Yes, of course. I want us to suffer together, forever.” His eyes were bright.

Gunshots rang out and in a flash Dietrich had disappeared. Laughter rang out high in the rafters of the factory building. Tres looked up, his gun barrels smoking.

“You better be careful of that one, Esther,” Dietrich called out in the darkness, “he’ll make you cry more than I ever could. Perhaps you’ll end up reconsidering my affections? I’ll find out later, when your heart is as hollow as mine. Take care, my love!”

Esther quietly sobbed, desperately mentally screaming to pull herself together, but her body wouldn’t listen.

Tres holstered his guns and approached Esther.

“The target can no longer be detected. Esther, are you all right?” he questioned, looking down at her crouched form, her back shuddering with sobs.

“Of course I’m not, you idiot!” she screamed. She stood up wiping away at her tear stained cheeks; wet with his lies.

_‘How could I have ever, EVER, had feelings for that creep?!’_ she berated herself, swallowing and dusting her clothes down so she had something to temporarily occupy her.

“Esther, we must leave this place. It is not safe.”

She didn’t listen to him; she didn’t want to care about anything right then.

_‘What did I do to deserve this?’_ Esther lamented, taking shuddery breaths as her mind began to settle down.

Tres suddenly took action and picked Esther up, slinging her over his shoulder. She screamed, shocked back into reality.

“W-what are you doing?!” she shrieked, kicking uselessly at his torso with blood stained shoes.

“I reiterate: we must leave this place. It is not safe,” he informed her, walking out of the factory and speeding up, running down desolate alleyways back to their hotel. He only put her down when they neared the entrance of the hotel; throwing her shoes away before frogmarching her back up to their rooms.

Esther sat heavily on the bed, while Tres stood in the corner, watching her.

_‘I should have got Dietrich to say more. If he loves me so much, surely he would have slipped me a little more information,’_ Esther darkly thought.

“You should have given me a chance to talk,” she muttered, staring at her knees. Esther knew her rage at Dietrich was merely being redirected at Tres, but she was still rattled over the whole ordeal.

“Dietrich von Lohengrin is a dangerous target with an unusually strong interest in you. AX has unsuccessfully tried to eliminate him several times. He is one of several key figures within the Rosenkreuz Orden.”

“I know that! But maybe he would have listened to me, if I had more time…”

_‘If Tres hadn’t started firing at him, maybe I would have had a chance.’_

She stood up and glared at Tres.

“Why does no-one take me seriously in AX? I can hold my own! If Dietrich had tried anything, I’m armed, you know. I feel like I went through all that training for nothing! You didn’t give me a chance!” she snapped. The more she spoke, the more she upset herself.

Tres didn’t move.

“You are a relatively new member, with little combat experience. There is a time and place for interrogation, and it is not when the target has a free reign.”

Esther felt the fire go out in her and she flopped back on the bed, blankly staring at the ceiling.

“Leave me alone, Tres. I’m not in the mood to talk to you anymore,” was all she said, and turned her back on him. After several long moments, she heard him leave the room.


	12. Chapter 12

** Chapter Twelve **

Esther had slept badly; she kept dreaming of Dietrich over and over, taunting her from afar. Her eyes felt gritty no matter how much she rubbed them.

She needed to distract herself from these terrible feelings swirling in her stomach. To say Dietrich had rattled her was an understatement. So she got washed and dressed while trying to sing to herself, but she couldn’t think of any songs and returned to the memory of Dietrich smiling at her.

A knock on the door while she finished drying her hair made her jump. She moved over to the door and cracked it open.

“May I speak with you, Esther?”

Esther sighed and opened the door.

“What brings you here, Tres?” she groused, letting him through and shutting the door. Tres moved off to the side and faced her.

“You asked me to aid you on my origins. Since our mission here is finished, we have some free time until tomorrow to indulge your request.”

Esther finally brightened a little. She’d completely forgotten…

She gave her first smile in what felt like forever.

“Of course,” she said, her smile fading, “Tres… look, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was pretty upset.”

Tres shook his head.

“It does not matter. You were distraught. Dietrich von Lohengrin is an expert manipulator. His profile lists psychological torture as enjoyment for him. It also claims he has a particular interest in you, Esther.”

Esther’s mouth fell open.

“In  _me_ ?!”

He nodded.

“Yes. He confirmed it himself when he came here after learning of your involvement,” he said and Esther sighed.

“Why haven’t I seen this profile?”

“You are not cleared. Though an AX member, you are new and relatively untested. Information within AX largely operates on a need to know basis and must go through Lady Caterina first,” Tres explained. Esther could feel that stone of uneasiness in her heart again. Things were too secretive in AX and she didn’t like it.

“I should have been told,” she said. How was she supposed to prepare for such situations if she didn’t know what was going on?

Tres didn’t have an answer for her, remaining silent. Esther headed for the door.

“Come on,” she said, “I want to see where you were created. You know the location, right?” Anything to take her mind off of Dietrich.

“I do.”

Esther opened the door.

“Then let’s go.”

* * *

 

“It will be difficult getting inside,” Tres said in a low voice. They were huddled together, crouching on an outcrop of rocks. Below, a large facility stretched out before them, patrolling guards littered all around. Professor Garibaldi, Tres’ creator, appeared to get a lot of funding back in the day. She reflected it probably wasn’t going to help them find information quickly.

“I’ve already seen ten armed guards on our way here. Maybe we should just forget about this,” Esther whispered. Her limbs felt shaky at the thought of all the sneaking they were going to have to do to get past the security detail.

“I have scanned the building. There is no-one inside. The security is just to preserve the laboratory. I do not know whether this is considered Albion or Vatican property, as my creator worked for the Vatican while overseeing this facility. It was part of his research for them.”

“I thought you knew nothing about this place?”

“I made some of my own enquiries,” was all he said. Esther glanced at him, but he was looking over at the laboratory roof.

“Hm. So, how are we going to get in? Do you think we should time the guard’s patrols? We might be able to slip in through that main door--- Hey, what are you doing?” she hissed. Tres had stood up, staring at the roof. He lifted his arm as she hopped up and his hand fell to reveal some kind of projectile.

“I have a plan,” was all he said and fired the thing from his arm. Esther watched, mouth agape, as the thing Tres fired shot towards the roof, rope flying behind it, and struck the wall of the roof exit. Tres tugged on the rope, ensuring it was safe before turning around to load the other end back into his arm, and firing it into a nearby rock.

_‘That is something I shouldn’t have to see up close,’_ Esther thought as Tres’ hand slotted back into place. She was getting flashbacks to the other hand firing a missile over her shoulder.

“This should hold our weight,” he said, testing the rope again.

“W-wait, how are we getting down from this high?” Esther nervously asked, peering over the edge. It was a sizable drop.

“I will slide down. You shall hold on to me.”

Esther paused, looking at Tres. He had wrapped a hand around the rope, and held the other one out towards her. Studying his expression had become a habit, despite being unable to gauge much from it. Currently, he had his usual infuriatingly blank expression. She was beginning to think she was deluding herself though, because she could have swore there was something in his eyes beckoning her.

Suddenly, she felt a rush of nervousness that had nothing to do with the drop. Esther swallowed and approached Tres. She stepped onto his heavy boots, not wanting to dangle, and carefully wrapped her arms around his torso.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Tres move to the edge of the precipice. Then her heart jumped when Tres wrapped his free hand around her waist and there was the sensation of them careening down the rope. Wind rushed in Esther’s ears as they went down. She bit her lip to stop herself from shrieking and alerting the guards to their presence.

Then they came to a sudden halt. When she opened her eyes, she found he’d released her and they had made it to the roof.

“You may let go now, Esther.”

But she couldn’t. She’d frozen in place. Her heart was pounding. Tres walked over to the projectile lodged in the wall, Esther still attached to him, and pulled it out. He then fired it into the rock the other end of the rope was attached.

“We must make sure we leave as little evidence of our intrusion as possible,” he explained.

He paused, looking down at her.

“Esther, it is all right,” he tried to comfort her.

Shakily, Esther let go and stepped off, quickly sitting on the ground.

“Sorry, I just need a minute. I’m not too fond of heights,” she told Tres, rubbing her jellified legs.

“I shall open the door,” he said, strolling around the corner.

_‘I shouldn’t have got him to do this,’_ she thought,  _‘Look where prying into Abel’s past got me, and now this. We’re breaking into a guarded facility! What is wrong with me?’_

She stood up and followed Tres around the corner. He’d pried the door open and was waiting for her.

“Tres… maybe we shouldn’t do this. I don’t want us to get into trouble. If Albion or the Vatican find out…”

“You are concerned about being caught?”

Esther paced about, nerves getting the better of her.

“I don’t know. I… why are you helping me?” she asked.

“Because you asked me to.” He looked perfectly serious.

Esther sighed, but managed a faint smile.

“I’ll never understand you, Tres. Come on, then.”

They went inside to find a long staircase. At the bottom was another door Tres had to open with brute strength and they went through.

“Where should we go?” Esther whispered.

“There is no need to whisper,” Tres said, “The guards cannot hear us. I do not know the inside of this facility. We should do a thorough sweep to ensure we do not miss anything.”

Esther looked around. All that was before them was a series of corridors; nothing to indicate how the laboratory was divided up, if it was at all.

“We should split up,” Esther decided. As much as she preferred to stick close to Tres, it was the only sensible option, given the size of the facility and the time they had.

“Affirmative. It is the most logical solution. And I can track you, if necessary,” he answered.

Esther began walking down the north corridor, her mind on other matters.

“Okay,” she said offhandedly, and Tres watched her for several moments before choosing the eastern corridor.

 

 

* * *

Esther had come to the conclusion that she didn’t fully understand herself, and it was frustrating her. While sifting through useless papers, opening filing cabinets and the myriads of cubby holes each room she encountered possessed, she had got nowhere. How had she managed to find the only offices in a laboratory?

_‘Why? Why does this matter so much to me?’_

With a sigh, she proceeded to the next room. The events of the last few days had put her off kilter, and it was producing questions she couldn’t answer.

_‘Liar.’_

Correction: didn’t like to answer. The moment Esther started thinking about her motivations for essentially badgering Tres into helping her find out about himself, she got a sick feeling in her stomach. She’d kept telling herself it was for the best to pull away the veil, but now, so close to answers, her hand was faltering.

Tres’ words from when they spoke on the airship several days ago were going in circles around her mind.

_‘“…you may simply prove that I am nothing but a machine. What will you do then?”’_

Esther knew she’d kind of dodged the issue at the time. ‘I just know’ wasn’t really a proper answer.

So what was it? Belief? A hunch?

_‘It’s hope.’_

“No…” Esther whispered. Hope was a wonderful thing, but in this case, it was folly.

Hope meant she wanted him not to be an android; that she wanted…

“No!” she snapped, shaking her head. Esther realised she was beginning to panic, her breaths quickening, and tried to get a hold of herself.

“I just want to find out the truth,” she told herself firmly, and set about finishing her exploration of the room she was in. When she came up with nothing, she left and realised it was the last room on her corridor and began walking back to the crossroad she’d left Tres at. Her mind was still in some disarray, but mostly under control.

By the time she reached the crossroads, she could hear the faint march of Tres. Sure enough, he turned up a minute later.

“That was good timing,” she blithely commented and Tres shook his head.

“I tracked your movements and followed you back to this location. Your corridor was much shorter than mine. I did not finish analysing the evidence.”

Esther’s eyebrows rose.

“Evidence? You found something?” The note of hope in her voice made her mentally cringe.

“Negative; nothing beyond a few mentions of the Killing Doll project I was a product of. It was information I was already aware of. But there could be more.”

Esther nodded.

“Then, let’s go. How long have we been here, though?” Esther asked.

“Approximately one hour and fifty three minutes,” Tres replied.

_‘That long, huh?’_

A tight smile appeared on Esther’s face.

“We better get moving, then,” she said, and followed Tres.

* * *

There were only three rooms Tres hadn’t got to explore on his corridor, and they had yielded nothing. This new area they were in, the western corridor, seemed more ‘science-y’ (it was the only word she could think to describe it) than her corridor had been. Old gurneys, trays of tools, tiled rooms… it was all ominous.

“Tres… this is eerie. I… I don’t think we should be here,” Esther whispered, hovering by the door of another room that looked more like a morgue than a lab. The room felt noticeable colder, making Esther shiver slightly.

“We are in no danger,” Tres asserted, heading to a nearby metal container. Four lined the walls. Esther finally pulled herself together. They were there now, so it would be silly not to look, she decided.

“What are these?” Esther wondered, running her hand along the metal containers. They were rectangular and very cold to the touch.

“I do not know,” Tres said, and began examining one of the containers.

Esther looked at the one she’d gravitated to. They were nondescript, just cold hunks of metal. Then something caught her eye. At the bottom of the box was a placard.

“Hey, Tres, come look at this,” Esther said, waving him over, “I can’t quite make this out, but I think it's some sort of writing.”

Tres crouched and stared at the placard.

“Analysing…”

Tres looked like he was staring into space. Esther fidgeted, tugging at her sleeves in an attempt to keep her hands warm. She jumped when Tres suddenly stood.

“I have filled in the unsalvageable parts. From that process, it reads ‘Lieutenant Colonel’.”

Esther frowned.

“And what’s that? The police?”

Tres shook his head.

“It is an Albion army ranking. There is an insignia beside it that matches the rank.”

Esther began to realise what the metal container was and shrieked, backing away. Tres watched her with a slight frown.

“What is wrong?”

Esther shakily pointed.

“Th-there’s a body in there. I think there’s a b-body,” she said. The size of the boxes, the low temperatures…

Tres looked at the container.

“My scanners cannot penetrate the metal, so you may be right,” he observed.

_‘Thanks, Tres. I feel_ so _much better now.’_

Esther swallowed and shuffled to Tres’ side.

“S-should we open it? What if we do find… a person?”

“We leave it alone. We should not disturb things.”

‘It’ and ‘things’ didn’t help calm Esther down.

“Let’s get this over with. We should never have come,” she said, taking deep breaths to try and maintain some order, and Tres examined the top of the container.

“There is a seam. Wait, I have found a button.”

There was a whooshing noise of escaping air. Cold air began to seep out of the lifting lid and Tres stood back.

The cold fog cleared to reveal a frozen body. Esther gasped and covered her face, while Tres stared impassively.

“T-Tres… that’s…” she whispered, slowly lowering her hands to look at Tres. It was both the worst and best case scenario Esther could have imagined.

“Yes, it is me,” he confirmed, “Or what is left of the human me.”

His tone was scaring Esther. She gripped his arm.

“Tres… are you all right?”

Tres turned his head to look down at her. He registered, fear, worry… so much concern for him. He didn’t know how to react to such a display of emotion.

“I cannot put my feelings into words. There is little to say on the matter.”

Esther shook her head, ready to cry.

“You’re wrong! There’s… too much to say, if anything. That’s… that’s your body. That’s proof you were once a living person.”

Her hand shook as she pointed at Tres’ frozen body. Tres’ makers had made him look almost exactly as he had looked when he had been human. His hair was a little longer than originally, and Esther couldn’t see what eye colour he used to have, but he more or less looked the same. Height, build… they’d taken it all down.

“I wonder why they made you look so much like your old self, if they were planning to lie to you…” Esther murmured, and turned away. She couldn’t bear to look at the body anymore.

Tres observed his old form one last time before sealing the pod shut again.

“I do not know, Esther. We can only speculate.”

Esther put her face in her hands. It was too horrible to contemplate. She heard the sound of Tres’ footsteps draw close, then felt the warmth of his arms wrapping around her.

“There is no need to be upset,” he told her, “You are fine, and I am in perfect working order. That body is a remnant of the past I do not recall. Why does it affect you so?”

Esther drew in a shaky breath and moved her hands from her face to grip onto Tres. She looked up at him.

“I feel sad when someone I care about has been deceived, even if they aren’t. I feel almost like I’m being upset on your behalf. And angry. I mean, who goes and does this? Why?!”

Tres carefully patted her shoulder.

“If it bothers you so much, we could go and find out, Esther.”

_‘Slowly, but surely, he’s starting to respond to things based on emotion rather than simply what his current orders are. Tres… are you finally starting to become human?’_

“You know we can’t. We don’t have enough time. Our flight leaves tomorrow. Any records we find have to stay here. If we were caught…” She shuddered. Her mind was already panicking over how furious Caterina would be if she even found out they’d been here, let alone had any documents on them. There was nothing to be done.

“You are correct, if we follow orders. But we have already broken code of conduct one-zero-five. It pertains to the strict adherence of a mission objective with no deviation for personal matters that may occur during that time.”

Esther groaned. She could feel the heavy weight of regret on her body.

“So… we should search this place as best we can. If we can’t take anything, we should read as much as possible.”

She didn’t even want to think what else lay in wait.


	13. Chapter 13

** Chapter Thirteen ** ****

Esther couldn’t have told anyone why she still looked for more information. It was like a compulsion, she couldn’t stop herself. Part of her thought the seeing his body should have been enough. But here they were, tearing another wing of the laboratory apart for anything mentioning a dead Lieutenant Colonel.

Tres straightened from another filing cabinet, a pile of files in hand, while Esther still rummaged around.

“Many of these files do no tie names with the ranks we have seen,” Tres observed, organising all the data he had.

Esther simply nodded and continued flipping through what she had, still unsettled. Her eyes widened.

“KIA in thirty-thirty-five… that means ‘Killed in Action’, right?” she said, sifting through her papers.

“That is what these papers infer. They are strongly linked with the Albion military.”

Esther shifted on the spot, wrapping her arms around herself. This place was getting increasingly eerie with each piece of information they uncovered.

“So… you don’t remember anything? None of this perhaps jogs your memory?” she asked, watching him carefully.

Tres shook his head, unmoved.

“Those memories no longer exist. There may be many reasons why that is so. It could be brain damage, forceful wiping, or perhaps a psychological block. I have no interest in my past.”

Esther frowned.

“Then why accept my request? Why bother helping me with this, if you don’t care?”

“Because you asked me to, and it did not conflict with my orders. You were determined to investigate my origins, and would have required aid. I wished to help you.”

Esther didn’t know what to make of that. So was it because of orders, or a personal desire? Every time she asked him, she seemed to get a different answer.

_‘“…does not conflict with any other orders…” “Because you asked me to…” and “I wished to help you”. He didn’t have to help me at all. But he did anyway. How much am I reading into this?’_ she wondered, eyeing Tres. He didn’t seem troubled by what they were learning, discarding irrelevant papers and informing Esther on pertinent ones.

“Only ten of my kind were made, but there seems to have been many more originally. All failures.”

Esther didn’t want to picture what ‘failures’ meant. She swiftly finished her pile of papers, starting to feel like she couldn’t breathe.

It was another ten minutes – time enough for Esther to become convinced the walls were starting to press in – when Tres suddenly spoke again.

“My master… my original master,” he corrected himself, “Professor Garibaldi. He made a deal with Albion. They supplied fallen soldiers as test subjects, and he would give them any technology he developed using them. A copy of the contract is here. I can only surmise someone was working on the inside, trying to ascertain the truth like us. It would explain how the Vatican suppressed his rebellion with relative ease. They must have been given word of his deceit and sent in forces.”

But Esther was barely paying attention. In her slightly trembling hand was a record of a soldier matching Tres’ description. She was certain it was him, though; his name listed on AX records was printed at the bottom. Her heart was pounding as she glanced through the sparse information given, the rest confidential.

“These say you were born in thirty-oh-nine,” she said faintly, her mind quickly doing the math, “T-that would make you fifty-one, if you hadn’t of died.”

Silence. Esther couldn’t bear it.

“Twenty-six… you were only twenty-six…” she whispered.

Tres said nothing. Esther shoved all the papers she’d got back into a filing cabinet and hurried to the door.

“We have to go,” she said, desperately trying to push everything down; the desperation, horror and fear.

“We still have plenty of time,” Tres responded and Esther grit her teeth.

“ _I_ have to go!” she snapped and left the room, trying to find an exit. She no longer cared if she was found; she just had to get out the building.

Her feet picked up speed; her mind was starting to go into a panic. Just as she spotted the door of the main and started to run for it, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder.

“I shall scan the area. Stay close.”

Tres didn’t look at her while he spoke, instead staring the front entrance door intently. Esther said nothing, feeling awkward, and simply followed him when he suddenly opened the door and began walking straight over to the bottom of the rocky outcrop where they had started.

“Get on,” he commanded, indicating she climb on his back.

“What? But--”

“We don’t have time!”

Esther’s eyes widened, but she did as she was told. The moment her arms were tight around his neck he leapt, using his hands and feet to briefly push off the rock to reach the summit. She slid off him and they walked home in silence.

The only time Tres spoke was when they reached the hotel and he turned around, telling her he was returning to the warehouse to survey the damage and ensure Dietrich hadn’t left any parting clues or tried to pin the murders on them.

It just sounded like excuses to Esther, but remained silent, returning to her room.

* * *

Tres finished reporting to the Vatican, making sure he was away from prying eyes or ears. He’d put it off for some hours, wandering around Albion. If he had been asked what he was doing, he would not have been able to explain himself.

_“Tres, you and Esther Blanchett are to return to the Vatican immediately,”_ Lady Caterina crackled over his communication device,  _“Th_ _is mission has been a disaster. You should have left Albion at once. Why didn’t you the moment you were compromised by von Lohengrin?”_

“It was pertinent to remain behind in order to see if Dietrich von Lohengrin had further plans. However, it is clear he has left or is unwilling to reveal himself again,” he calmly replied.

_“You know perfectly well that being compromised on a mission means returning to the Vatican immediately to ensure immunity from international law. Albion will not stand for AX to operate within its borders like this. Know your place, Tres. Return this instant.”_

“Yes, Lady Caterina.” He didn’t know what this sensation was. Was it… a sinking feeling? He looked down at his motionless body. It did not matter anymore. He had to obey. He listened to his instructions, attempting to seal off dissonant thoughts.

* * *

Tres was at Esther’s door early the next morning, but she’d hardly slept and so was up and ready to go hours before, sitting at the windowsill staring at nothing. She couldn’t get the image of Tres’ frozen human form in that steel container.

“I have contacted the Vatican with our initial findings at the warehouse and our encounter with Dietrich von Lohengrin. We have been ordered to take an indirect route back to headquarters. The Albion authorities are suspicious of both Vatican and Rosenkreuz activity within their borders. Though there is no reason to believe they are aware we are agents of the Vatican, we must be cautious. I have booked us a place on a transport ship across the sea. Then we move by ground transport or on foot.”

Esther blinked.

“But that will take several weeks!”

Tres opened the door without looking at her.

“It does not matter. We must do what we are told.”

He left and Esther stood agape with her small bag of luggage in hand.

_‘When has that stopped him before?’_

* * *

They boarded the ship. Esther remained on deck, watching Albion fade into the horizon. She couldn’t stop worrying about the information on Tres. It gnawed at her mind, screaming to be carefully thought on. She didn’t want to allow herself to do that. She’d caused so much damage already, and Tres was being… well, Tres. Probably. Esther was beginning to lose track of how he behaved anymore. She had no idea how much the information had affected him, if at all.

She knew she’d been deeply shaken. She’d opened a box better left shut and forgotten about. She wanted to cry, but knew it wouldn’t help anything. It wouldn’t let her forget about the horror’s she’d seen, that had been impersonally documented and filed away. The knowledge Tres was a victim of such a thing and yet because of it was not bothered hurt.

Was it pity she felt? Her emotions were in such fluctuation, she wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. But there was no time to sort things out, and Esther didn’t know how she would even begin to untangle her heart and mind.

So she stared at the sea and tried to shut it all away. Despite treasuring humanity and all its joys and pains, Esther couldn’t deal with such intense things. Her mind couldn’t get around everything she’d learnt, felt – or tried not to feel. It had built up in her, unprocessed and dangerously close to overflowing. It was frustrating not knowing how to deal with it. She only knew one thing; she couldn’t talk to Tres. Something had happened to him. Her instincts told her the Vatican had tightened his leash, but she couldn’t be sure. The information from Albion may have affected him more than she was aware. Either way, he was distant again. He reminded her painfully of the Tres she’d first met what felt like a lifetime ago.

Regardless of how relatively carefree things had been back then, she didn’t want to return to those times.

 

 

* * *

He had observed Esther for almost an hour before finally walking over to her. He couldn’t understand the intricacies of her facial expression beyond ‘troubled’. Or perhaps it was ‘sad’. He couldn’t be certain.

“Esther,” he intoned, noting that she jumped at the sound of his voice.

“You scared me!” she cried, eyes wide. He analysed her stance and detected she was holding herself tensely.

“Are you well, Esther? You have been…” he searched for the correct term, “strange. Your behaviour has changed recently. I do not know why.”

She laughed, though Tres could not detect a happy expression on her face.

“That sounds hilarious, since I could say the same for you, Tres,” she replied.

His behaviour was also strange?

“How so?”

A review of his memory banks gave him no indication of this strange behaviour he was supposedly exhibiting.

Esther sighed and rubbed at her face. She didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Tres waited for her to present evidence he couldn’t detect himself.

“Forget about it,” she finally said, “It’s just me…”

She briefly glanced at him before looking back out to sea.

“Maybe I’m the one who’s changed.”

“Then how have you changed?” he questioned. He couldn’t understand the conversation they were having. Some part of his mind – that elusive human element perhaps? – told him there was something underneath her words, but he did not know what it was.

Suddenly, Esther leant away from the ship’s railings and began to walk away.

“I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning, Tres.”

Tres wanted to continue the conversation, but noted Esther’s behaviour indicated their conversation was over. He let her disappear inside the ship, remaining outside on patrol for another hour before returning to the quarters provided for him.

* * *

_‘Why can’t I just say something?’_

Esther had been going over talk with Tres for the last two hours, replaying it with different endings; ones where she cleared out her thoughts and got his in return, or where she just flat out told him how she felt. But the mere thought of saying something like that made her freeze.

_‘Of all the people in this world…’_

She curled into a ball, tugging her covers over her head in a pathetic attempt to block the world out. After a while she finally began to fall asleep, deciding on what to do. 


	14. Chapter 14

** Chapter Fourteen **

Esther didn’t know what to do with herself as they made their way off the ship and across the continent. She felt like her newly acquired knowledge was a beacon in her head that Caterina was instantly going to see. As much as she tried to push the information into some dark corner of her mind, it just came back to the surface. Travelling so slowly on foot didn’t help either; it gave her way too much time to think.

Her deliberations on the ship had been fairly fruitless; the most she had come up with was that she was too afraid to tell Tres the inner workings of her mind, especially since his behaviour had taken a leap back in time. If he’d been more… she didn’t know – open? – perhaps she would have considered speaking her mind. But as he was…

She shook herself and kept her eyes on the path before her. Tres was in front of her, making sure there wasn’t trouble up ahead. The silence was beginning to bother her, since it was giving her too much time to worry.

It was an hour later when a thought struck her and she suddenly jogged so she drew up alongside Tres. He gave her a cursory glance before looking forward once more.

“Tres… you’re not going to tell anyone at the Vatican about what we found?” Esther asked, watching him carefully.

“It is unnecessary information which would interfere with my duties should it come to light.”

“I see. Good,” she mumbled and fell back again. Esther had been bothered by Tres’ robotic behaviour in the beginning, but now she’d glimpsed the other him, it cut like a knife to hear him talk like that.

Everything inside her felt bad. Dietrich’s words to her and the memory of Tres’ body kept going round and round. Stupid leering Dietrich. Heartbreaking Tres’ unemotional words.

And worst of all, Caterina standing ominously before her, passing down judgement on their actions. Caterina was a mystery in of herself. Did she know Dietrich would be there? Why did she send her with Tres, when Tres pointed out how inexperienced she was?

Esther tiredly looked around. The landscape was uninteresting. No, that was wrong, she thought. Her mind was just elsewhere. Before being placed in these stressful positions, she would have been captivated by the rolling countryside, the spats of forests, the gently rushing streams. Now only the Vatican and Dietrich and Tres weighed on her mind. Not even the orange and pink sunset streaking across the sky could distract her.

Night fell just as they reached a brightly lit town. Esther was glad to finally see some people, feel the bustle of other’s lives. It was comforting to watch, taking the edge of her a little.

Then a mane of dark hair caught her eye and her mouth dropped open. It couldn’t be…

“L… Leon?!” Esther cried, running over. Leon turned and grinned, arms open and Esther flung herself into them. It felt like she hadn’t seen a smiling face in years. He was warm and musky and she could feel the vibration of his laughter through his chest. It felt too good.

“Esther! Aw, I’ve missed you so much!” Leon rumbled, pressing her tightly to him.

“I missed you too!” she answered once she’d managed to pull back from being smothered, “Where have you been?”

Leon scratched his head sheepishly.

“Ah, you know, here and there. You know how AX likes to keep its agents busy. It’s nice they think I can take care of myself, but it wouldn’t kill them to pair me up with someone once in a while, eh?”

Esther nodded.

“It seems because I’m relatively new, I have to go along with others. You’d really like being partnered up, even if they got to order you about?”

Leon eyed her, picking up on her slight tone of frustration, but apparently didn’t feel the need to address it, instead shrugging.

“Well, it beats having no-one but the Methuselah I’m wasting to chat with. Anyway, I can give you a lift over to the Vatican! I’m meant to be heading back myself.”

He looked a little shifty and Esther narrowed her eyes. Leon gave a toothy grin.

“Aw, don’t give me that look! Okay, maybe the boss lady told me to keep an eye out for you guys and give you a hand. Come on, I’ll show you!”

He motioned for them to follow, heading around the back of the local inn. Esther’s eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of Leon’s bike. Leon waved his hands at the motorcycle, looking slightly annoyed at the sidecar.

“See, I got it all prepared for you! You can ride with me, and metal man here gets the sidecar. Only cute people can sit on the bike,” Leon said with a grin and Esther sighed. He really didn’t change. It made her heart lighten considerably.

“Tres?” she asked, looking over at him. Tres walked over to the sidecar and examined it.

“It seems roadworthy,” he eventually said and Leon punched him in the arm, then began massaging his throbbing hand.

“Of course it’s roadworthy, you hunk of metal! Like I’d let Esther on board otherwise!”

Tres said nothing in return, instead heading towards the inn. Leon sighed and followed, warmly gripping Esther’s hand. Esther could feel herself relaxing a little with the one action of reassurance. Leon looked back to her with a smile.

“So how have you been?” he asked and Esther could feel her lip tremble slightly, making Leon’s eyes widen.

“Esther…”

She just silently shook her head and Leon pulled her into his arms. She pressed her head against his chest, determined not to cry.

“That bad, huh, kid? It’s okay, you don’t have to say right now. Don’t mean I won’t ask later, though. But for now, let’s go inside, get some grub and sleep, okay?”

She nodded and pulled back, taking a deep breath. Tears averted.   

* * *

They each got their own room, to Esther’s relief. Leon’s words had come too close to setting her off. The last thing she needed was to fall apart in front of everyone. She was determined to remain strong, to not be perceived as the weak link in AX.

She took a bath, allowing herself to let all her stress out. Tears where no-one could see were a release, a chance to pull herself together for the final push back to the Vatican. Then maybe she could hide out for a while, or request she be partnered up with Leon or Abel, maybe even get a mission to do alone.

Esther sighed, inhaling the steam from her bath and relaxing a little.

Leon would be a good barrier between herself and Tres; Tres was stressing her out more than anything else. But she refused to think more on it; it only made her worry more.

Eventually she got out, dried herself and slipped on a nightdress. The bed was small but comfy and after so much emotional turbulence she found herself drifting off with ease.

It was a slightly heated discussion between Tres and Leon outside Esther’s door that woke her up.

“What are you doing skulking outside Esther’s door?” she heard Leon hiss as she blinked and slowly sat up.

“I was going to wake Esther up. We should be continuing our journey back to the Vatican,” Tres answered in his usual monotone. Esther carefully climbed out of her bed and inched towards the door.

“Hah, whatever. I know you’ve done something to upset her, metal man, and I won’t stand for it. She was practically in tears last night!” Leon growled and Esther cringed. Had she really looked that bad?

“Our mission was a failure. Esther must fear the consequences of this.”

Esther gave a wan smile. She wasn’t sure if he really knew what upset her so much, but the fact he was keeping their extra activities quiet reassured her.

Leon interrupted any more thoughts with a snort.

“Yeah, a likely story. For a robot, you ain’t half a punk. I know you did something. No way some crappy mission would rile her up like that. Get out of here; you’ve caused Esther enough grief. I’ll wake her up.”

Esther bit her lip as she heard Tres’ familiar leaden footsteps fade. The knock on her door made her jump.

“Hey, Esther! You up, darlin’?!” Leon shouted and Esther stifled a laugh.

She backed up to her bed before speaking.

“Hang on a moment!” she called and headed back to the door and unlocked it.

Leon leant on the doorframe when she opened it, a silly smile on his face.

“Lookin’ good as usual, Esther,” he said and Esther felt her cheeks heat and pushed the door shut again.

“L-Leon! I’ll be out in ten minutes!”

Leon laughed and she heard him walk away. How could she have forgotten she was still in her night clothes? With a shake of her head she got washed and dressed, checked her things were packed up before heading out to where breakfast was being served. Several tables were set out. Tres and Leon were in a corner with toast and a pot of tea.

“Come sit with me!” Leon said, patting the seat beside him. Esther couldn’t help but smile and join them. Tres sat perfectly still, staring straight ahead.

“Morning,” Esther greeted them and Tres inclined his head briefly while Leon practically squeezed her to death.

“I’m so glad I got assigned to you!” The jubilance in his voice worried her a little. What kind of missions was he usually put on? She didn’t ask though, worried he’d bring up what her and Tres had been up to in return. So she ate some breakfast, listening to the tale Leon regaled them with of how he tracked them down.

Once they were done with breakfast, Leon strutted outside to his bike, motioning at Tres.

“Let’s go.”

Tres sat in the sidecar and Leon took Esther’s bag and dumped it on Tres’ lap before hopping onto his bike and extending a hand to Esther. She didn’t hesitate, firmly holding his hand and allowing him to pull her up and behind him. Leon kicked his motorbike to life, smirking with satisfaction at the roaring sound.

Esther silently wrapped her arms around his waist, turning her head to the left so she didn’t have to look at Tres. It was a good hour before Leon finally sighed and briefly glanced back at her.

“Esther, honey, you still seem troubled. Ya know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

He felt her nod against his back and chuckle.

“Of course, Leon. You’re like the big brother I wish I had!”

“What?! N-no! I don’t want to be your…” his fire seemed to go out, though, and he sighed before finally chuckling, “I guess I’ll take what I can get. What’s wrong, Esther? You haven’t seemed your usual bright self.”

Esther went quiet. She didn’t know what to say, especially with Tres just across in the sidecar. She briefly peered over at Tres to find him looking straight ahead as if he couldn’t hear their every word. She knew he could hear them perfectly well, so was he just ignoring them or paying attention? Esther didn’t feel comfortable going into every single problem she’d had since she’d last seen Leon. Abel popped into her mind with a jolt. She was going to have to talk to him when she got back to the Vatican, if he was even there.

“I… I tried to pry into some things I shouldn’t have and caused some trouble. A-Abel was avoiding me for some time because I wanted to know more about him and… I guess I didn’t exactly go about it the right way,” she softly explained and she felt Leon tense.

“That airhead bastard! I’ll kill him for you! Making you worry like that – it’s unforgivable! No-one upsets my Esther and gets away with it!” he raged, making Esther giggle. He always managed to cheer her up.

“Thanks, Leon, but I want to talk to him again. I didn’t get a chance to explain myself.”

Leon calmed down, sighing loudly.

“AX is one messed up family, that’s for sure! I won’t kill him, but I’ll make sure to give him a good sock in the jaw for ya. And for me. His pretty boy face annoys me.” Esther could hear the smile in his voice and settled down, briefly glancing at Tres, who remained unmoved.

* * *

 

They stopped off for the night in a small village; so small it didn’t even have an inn. Instead the local farmer offered them an empty barn and dinner at his table, which suited the three fine.

The farmer and his wife seemed a little wary of them, but Esther was as talkative and warm as possible, happy to have some normal people to talk with about normal daily life. With a pang she realised she missed just helping out at a church. She swallowed and smiled, continuing to talk.

Once they retired to the barn, Esther slumped in a pile of hay, tugging her bag up to serve as a pillow. Tres marched into the corner and remained standing. Leon shirked his coat and top off, making Esther gape.

“It’s gonna get cold in here, Esther,” Leon said, stepping closer with a smirk and Esther stood and put her hands on her hips.

“I’ll be fine with all this hay,” she replied and instinctively moved over to the pile of hay closest to Tres. Leon chuckled and lay down not far from Esther. She was glad they were separated somewhat by a beam. Any closer and she’d be getting uncomfortable.

“So can I ask you two about this mission you were on?” Leon asked and Esther closed her eyes. She didn’t want to even think about it.

“It is classified, as any member of AX is well aware,” Tres intoned.

“Yeah, but almost everyone talks off the record,” Leon shot back and Esther sighed.

“Tres isn’t everyone,” she flatly pitched in.

“You got that right. I’m just worried about you, Esther.”

“I know. But I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet. Leon… are we far from the Vatican now?”

Leon sighed, putting his arms behind his head.

“On my bike, maybe four or five hours. I get the impression you’re not exactly eager to return.”

Esther curled up, almost burying herself in hay.

“I don’t know. Last thing I need is to be on Lady Caterina’s bad side,” she said, wishing running away was simpler. She knew going AWOL would make thing much worse, but it didn’t stop her from briefly entertaining the idea. Tres would never agree.

“Ah, it’s not so bad. Not fun, but not terrible. She just likes to know her pawns are still in her control. She only lets people like me roam without having to see her directly because she knows I won’t run off.”

Esther looked over at him, peering from her hay cocoon.

“She trusts you?”

Leon laughed hard, grasping his stomach.

“Ah, ahah…” he finally gasped, “No way. Not as far as she can throw me, anyway, though I wouldn’t dare underestimate her strength. She just knows our agreement means I wouldn’t dream of running, that’s all.”

Esther’s curiosity got the best of her, despite it getting her into trouble time and again.

“Why is that?” she asked and Leon looked over at her with a smirk.

“We’ve all got our secrets. It’s not even worth hearing, Esther, promise. Not your delicate little ears.”

Esther inferred that meant whatever bound him to AX was bad. After all the damage she’d done prying into Tres and Abel’s pasts, she decided to leave Leon’s alone.

“Okay. But will you promise to tell me one day, even if it’s years and years away?” she whispered and Leon reached out a hand. Esther briefly glanced at his hand before putting out her hand and holding his.

“Sure, Esther, I promise. I just hope you won’t think poorly of me in the long run.”

Esther’s face faltered with worry but something surged in her chest and she smiled.

“Leon, I’ll never think badly of you. You’re a good friend.”

Leon shook her head.

“You shouldn’t put your trust in others so easily, but thank you. You’ve only met me a couple of times.”

She gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go.

“It doesn’t matter; I just know you’ve got a good soul. Goodnight, Leon, Tres.”

“’Night, Esther,” Leon said quietly.

“Goodnight,” Tres said and Esther’s gaze flicked over to where Tres was standing. She could just make out his feet.

It was a strangely comforting sight though it weighed heavily on her heart.


	15. Chapter 15

** Chapter Fifteen **

Esther slept surprisingly well considering, waking up not long after dawn. She got nervous when she sat up to find the barn empty, scrambling to her feet and rushing to the door.

The flood of dawn light hit her, making her squint for several moments. In front of the dawn rays she made out the silhouettes of Tres and Leon standing together. Esther blinked and stepped forward, confused.

Leon drew up alongside Esther with a grim look. Esther lightly tugged on his sleeve.

“What’s wrong, Leon?”

He looked down at her with a helpless smile.

“Boss lady is summoning me elsewhere. ‘Fraid I gotta drop you two off here,” he said, then turned to glare at Tres, “Hey! You better take good goddamn care of her, right?!”

Tres stoically nodded. Leon turned to face Esther again.

“Esther… be careful. Real careful. I heard you were sent after Dietrich freaking Lohengrin, that smirking bastard. And I know Tres says he’ll take care of you, but… he’s just a machine. I don’t trust them like I trust hearts. My heart’s telling me to keep you safe. I wish I could follow it… you know how it is. Boss lady don’t like it when I get ideas in my head. So… all I can do is tell you to stick close to those you trust and whatnot. Okay?”

Esther gave him a watery smile, her eyes pricking with tears.

“You’re too kind, Leon. Thank you for everything.” He pulled her into a tight hug, sneaking a kiss on top of her head.

“I’m just tryin’ to do what’s best. I’ll see you soon,” he said and let her go. His bike roared to life and he gave a wave before speeding off.

* * *

Leon’s words wouldn’t fade from her mind as they continued on foot. She supposed ‘I trust hearts’ meant he didn’t think much of Tres. But, he did have a heart, once. It had just… got away from him. She was sure Tres just needed a little push, a reminder of what he used to be. She was at a loss over what to do. She’d lost her courage to have it straight out with him; she’d used it all up in that laboratory and against Dietrich. Leon had given her a bit of a boost, but with him gone it had ebbed away once more.

It annoyed her how much she depended on others to support her, to give her strength to move forward. She railed at herself for not feeling strong enough in her own right. She had hoped being part of AX would give her independence and the abilities to go on alone, but if anything she felt even more chained down.

All she needed was a sign. A small sign that Tres cared, but he had shut down. He seemed solely focused on returning to the Vatican. Her confidence with him had been knocked; where she would have asked openly what was going on in his head, she simply remained silent and afraid. She feared his answers more than anything, that she was responsible for this change. Esther had seen the fluttering of emotion in him and feared it had been too much, that she’d been selfish pushing him this way. Was she any better than the people who’d made him this way in the first place? She’d been experimenting on him in her own way, testing him emotionally, watching and mentally storing the results away. How could she have allowed her curiosity to get so out of control that she and Tres had ended up here?

But she didn’t have the courage to pour this out to Tres, to apologise for her selfish actions, to tell him she’d hurt herself as well as him if it was any consolation. Now she was as bound up with him as he was to his machinery.

So Esther just walked alongside him, wishing she could find the words to explain herself and had the guts to accept his response. He seemed closed off, more mechanical, but she had a feeling that this didn’t mean he’d entirely gone back to the way he was. He was like her perhaps; hiding it all away, unable to deal with it. She didn’t blame him if it was the case. No-one should have to be faced with such ugly truths. But here they were together and not a word between them, locked out of each other’s thoughts.

It didn’t comfort her that Tres was possibly in the same position as her, though. She was miserable. With a sigh she realised she’d fallen behind again and jogged to catch up with Tres.

* * *

 

They weren’t far from the Vatican; perhaps another few hours. The sun was starting to set. If they were lucky, they’d make it by nightfall. It would be fair to say Esther was dragging her heels. The idea of facing Caterina still sent a coil of leaden nerves in the pit of her stomach. Leon’s ideas on how Caterina operated didn’t particularly comfort her. And somewhere along the way she’d got it into her head that for better or worse she would have to talk to Tres once they got back to the Vatican. Hopefully she could get it all off her chest and then hide away after the fallout. And then apologise and beg forgiveness from Abel, she thought with a grimace.

“Esther, stay back,” Tres said in a low voice, halting.

Esther saw Tres looking over at something and she cautiously followed his gaze.

Two men were walking down the road. Both pale; one tall with dark brown hair and a leer, the other blond with a grim expression and dead blue eyes.

“Hey,” the leering one called as they neared and Tres halted, stepping slightly in front of Esther.

“Dietrich sent us. He wanted us to tell you,” he continued, indicated Esther, “that he’s ‘eternally thinking of you’. Huh, like that matters. You caused us a lot of trouble, zigzagging about, trying to lead us astray. Let’s get them, Taisto.”

The blond one nodded, a blade sliding out from his sleeve.

“Get down!” Tres commanded.

In a flash, he had turned and pushed Esther away from the Methuselah. She could only gasp at the force Tres shoved her back. She was sure there was going to be a hand shaped bruise across her shoulder.

Everyone was a flurry of movement Esther couldn’t quite make out. The Methuselah were blurs; one in the air, the other charging on the ground.

Fear flooded through her body, but she got her gun out ready, ignoring the twinge in her shoulder.

* * *

 

Tres found battle clear and simple. All fighting consisted of was appropriate tactics given statistical data and priorities.

First priority: ensure the safety of Esther; Second priority: defeat all threats; Third priority: self preservation.

Tres remained impassive as the nameless dark haired Methuselah that had leapt in the air shot several fireballs at him, which he swiftly dodged while maintaining his rate of gunfire at the two. Methuselah with the ability to control fire were rare but not unheard of.

He observed the Methuselah addressed as Taisto on the ground fast approaching him, arm blade prepared to strike. With practiced ease Tres blocked the attack with the gun in his right hand, but did not anticipate his attacker’s blindingly speedy back flip, kicking the gun clean out of his hand.

“Die!” the fire wielding Methuselah cackled, launching the largest fireball he’d yet produced. The force of it sent the Methuselah backwards towards the ground. Tres briefly considered the notion of what dying would entail for him before rolling towards his lost gun and out of the path of the fireball. Being able to process information at incredibly high speeds and run battle simulations had its advantages. He wondered how Esther perceived what was going on. He estimated this fight although extremely fast seemed as if in slow motion to him.

Tres calculated that he would not reach his gun before Taisto. Before he had time to simply roll back onto his feet and continue with the one gun, Taisto went from running towards him to swiftly backing off under a volley of gunfire.

Esther.

* * *

She knew she couldn’t simply hide, leaving Tres to deal with these two. Esther had a feeling Dietrich wouldn’t send just anyone; she got a bad vibe off them. They had a walk and talk that suggested they were powerful and Esther wasn’t inclined to disbelieve. It was the first time she’d seen a Methuselah with the ability to control fire.

So she kept her distance, gun firmly in hand. Even if she could only provide a little covering fire, it was better than abandoning Tres.

“Esther, get away from here!” Tres instructed, continuing to fire to keep the two Methuselah back. The leering fireball producing one joined his grimmer companion.

“I’m not going anywhere without you, Tres!” Esther shouted, trying to hold it together.

“Dietrich has no issues with Esther Blanchett. But he doesn’t like you hanging around her. A bad influence and all that, you know.”

“Stop messing about, Galo. Let’s finish this,” Taisto snapped and Galo groaned.

“Ugh, you can’t just have fun, can you? Fine, let’s get this over with,” Galo grumbled.

Esther could see Tres was exposed, out in the open while their enemies grouped together. That quickly changed when Taisto began running around Tres while Galo kept his distance, using his fireballs as a ranged attack, smirking all the while.

Tres seemed to have disregarded Taisto in favour of trying to kill Galo, dodging the fire as he charged forward, guns blazing.

All Esther could do was fire at Taisto trying to attack Tres from behind in the hopes her gunfire could keep him away long enough for Tres to take the other one down. It was next to impossible for her to keep a track of Taisto, since he was using the fearsome speed of Methuselah without regard.

_‘Dietrich, why must you do this?’_ she thought to herself as she fired between the blur and Tres, praying she didn’t accidentally catch Tres with her gunfire. From what she could tell, Taisto couldn’t dodge past easily. She fumbled for another clip to ready, hoping the gap wouldn’t give Taisto the opportunity to catch up to Tres.

She noticed Tres had almost reached Galo, who was looking nervous as his fire had failed to hit Tres and he had to dodge Tres’ hail of gunfire faster and faster the closer Tres got. Esther gasped as Tres stopped firing. Had he run out of ammo? But her eyes widened as Tres leapt, exposing himself. Galo grinned as he managed to hit Tres full force in the chest with a fireball, but his grin soon faded as Tres emerged with only his cape and cassock singed and delivered a spectacular kick right to Galo’s face, sending the Methuselah to the ground.

In a fluid movement, Tres landed almost on top of Galo and immediately resumed his gunfire directly at Galo’s head. Before Esther could even begin to relax, her gun was out of ammo and she tried to quickly reload. But Taisto exploited the gap and lunged.

“Look out!” was all Esther could scream.

Tres swivelled round, lifting his arm only to get Taisto’s blade through it. Esther began running forward, desperate to cross the distance even if it meant risking her life when she reached Tres.

* * *

 

Tres glanced down to see the Methuselah’s blade had pierced his right arm and gone right through it and several inches into his chest. The gun he’d been holding fell out of his hand, the motors in his arm too damaged to grip anymore. Diagnostics were going haywire with alerts to the various damages he’d suffered. His joint fluid was beginning to pour from his arm, but Tres calculated he could turn this to his favour; Taisto’s bladed left arm was trapped in his right.

But before he could fire with his still working left arm, Taisto wrapped with his free arm around Tres damaged one, using his strength to jump and swiftly entangle his legs around Tres’ left arm and twisting so Tres’ body weight was put off balance and sent Tres to the ground, arms immobilised. With another deft twist of Taisto’s legs Tres found his hand unable to hold his other gun, which slipped from his slackened grip.

Tres swiftly began running simulations for a counterattack while Taisto wrenched his blade from Tres’ ruined arm and began awkwardly stabbing Tres in the right side of his chest, the only place he could reach without freeing Tres.

A counterattack in place, Tres began attempting to use his legs to try and lock them around Taisto’s head, but the Methuselah was almost completely perpendicular to him and out of reach. Tres was getting a myriad of reports on his right side losing complete mobility; he couldn’t even move his right leg anymore, let alone raise it to attack.

Taisto began to laugh as he stabbed, but Tres hardly heard it over the warnings of requiring a hibernation cycle while he attempted to repair the damage. He couldn’t do that until Esther was safe.

A gunshot rang out and Taisto’s laughter cut off. He slumped, revealing Esther, gun quivering in her hand. She quickly dropped it in favour of dragging Taisto off Tres before kneeling beside him.

“Several motor processors are damaged. I cannot relay information to my right side,” he told her and Esther found herself welling up.

“Tres, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more,” she sniffed and looked at her.

“You did more than enough. Thank you, Esther. Now I must repair,” he said and stopped moving, leaving Esther agape.

* * *

 

Esther couldn’t think straight. Seeing him lying there, unconscious? What did you call a knocked out android?

“Okay, got to calm down and think,” she tried to comfort herself.

They were still out in the open, two dead Methuselah nearby. And the sun was almost completely set; one last sliver of yellow streaking across the land. So much for getting back before dark. She didn’t know what to do. There was some brush around and they were off the main road.

Esther started by moving the Methuselah bodies away from them; it was slow work but she couldn’t stand them near her. She lay them side by side and said a prayer for them before returning to Tres.

She decided their best option was to start a fire so she didn’t freeze to death. She refused to leave Tres like this. Esther tucked Tres’ singed cape around him, listening to check for signs of life. He felt extremely warm and she could hear some faint noises in his chest, which made her relax a little. She got up and gathered some rocks for the fire, then some brush and dug out the matches in their small travelling bags.

The fire comforted her. She’d placed it not too far from Tres. She looked over at him, the light of the fire dancing along his side in the darkness. Esther had spent so much time avoiding him she hadn’t seen him properly in a while. She shuffled so she sat beside him. His cape and cassock were in the worst shape; scorched from the fireball and shredded on one side from Taisto’s stabbing. Gently, Esther pushed Tres’ cape aside and looked through the holes at his chest.

“Oh, Tres…” she whispered. The gashes looked bad. Dark fluid had soaked into his cassock and stained his chest. She rummaged in her bag, pulling out the white shirt from her Albion disguise to wipe the liquid away. The holes in his chest were gaping, about three inches long and a good half inch wide, revealing indiscernible metal and plastic underneath. There was nothing she could do about the cuts so finished cleaning the liquid up and covered Tres again.

Esther took a look at his eyes, which remained open and unfocused. She carefully brushed some of his hair from his face. Her heart was pounding. What if he never moved again? The damage didn’t look irreparable, but it wasn’t like she had any knowledge of robotics. Perhaps Taisto struck something important?

“I’m so sorry Dietrich did this.”

She wondered what Dietrich thought he’d achieve by trying to hurt Tres. It was no good; the inner workings of Dietrich’s mind was even more mysterious than Tres’.

Esther stood up and decided she had to make sure the area was safe. She was so used to Tres doing it. Nervously, she set off into the outskirts of the night.

 

* * *

An hour later Esther was beside Tres once more, who suddenly began making loud whirring noises. Esther saw his pupils dilate to compensate in the darkness and leaned forward.

“Tres!” she cried. He didn’t move.

“I have been able to work around some of the damage.”

“How is that possible?” she asked. His head jerkily turned to look at her.

“I… access is denied. That data is not permitted. It is so I can not divulge information on my blueprints to enemies. I… do not know… I…” His brown eyes dimmed and Esther gasped.

“Tres! Are you alright?!”

“I shall power down for a while. I need… time to repair…”

He closed his eyes and said no more. Esther remained beside him, tightly holding a whirring hand.

* * *

 

Esther awoke to find herself sprawled across Tres, head resting on his slightly too warm chest. She sat up to see his eyes were open. The fire had gone out and the sky told her the sun would soon start to rise.

“Tres! Are you feeling better?”

He slowly sat up and used his good arm to prop himself upright.

“I have managed to reroute my mobility processes through another section,” he said and slowly stood, wobbling slightly.

“I have approximately fifty percent mobility in my affected arm and leg.”

“So… you can walk on your leg?”

“It will suffice.”

Their progress wasn’t as slow as Esther had feared; Tres could limp pretty fast. They’d made an unspoken agreement to head to the Vatican as fast as possible without time for talk. Esther just wanted to get Tres back so he could get the help he needed. She didn’t even have time to contemplate her personal reluctance to return while holding Tres’ damaged arm tightly to help support him, even if it was only a little.

The sun rose fast and through it the Vatican’s buildings began to become visible. She shared a brief glance with Tres, who seemed to study her face before returning to looking where he was going.

And before Esther knew it, the Vatican entrance loomed before them.

For better or worse, they were finally back.


	16. Chapter 16

** Chapter Sixteen ** ****

Attendants carried Tres off to be repaired while Esther was practically dragged to Lady Caterina’s office to report on the attack.

Esther just wished she could finally sleep in peace, briefly entertaining the fantasy of sleeping until everything sorted itself out. Lady Caterina coldly studied Esther while she went through the event. She kept asking question after question, demanding more detail, which Esther tried to recall as best she could.

Her mind was starting to scream for peace. Why could no-one leave her alone?!

“Lady Caterina,” she finally said, eyes feeling dry and itchy from lack of sleep, “I know no more than what I’ve already said. I really need to rest.”

Lady Caterina eyed her for several moments before waving Esther off with a hand.

“Tomorrow,” was all she said and Esther swiftly left. The relief was positively tangible.

Her room was a little musty from lack of use, but Esther didn’t care. She threw her bag across the room, kicked her shoes off and slid into bed. She couldn’t even be bothered to close her curtains.

* * *

 

The morning brought a new round of questioning, this time a detailed account of the mission in Albion. From what Esther could gather, Tres was still being repaired. She wished she knew where he was so she could check on him, but it didn’t look like Caterina was going to let Esther out of her sight any time soon.

“I thought Tres told you what happened back in Albion,” Esther pointed out and Caterina narrowed her eyes.

“It is not a question of whether Tres has told me anything. I wish to know what happened from you,” she replied and Esther tried to recall what Tres had said.

“It’s like I said; we tried to infiltrate the Rosenkreuz cell but Dietrich killed them before we could get anything from them. All the relevant paperwork they’d had was gone. Dietrich taunted us and left. We failed to capture him. But the way he talked suggested we would meet again. Being the senior officer, Tres decided to remain one more day to see if Dietrich revealed himself again, which he did not. Albion had given no indication they were aware of any AX activity within their borders, so staying was a viable option.” It was all Esther knew. It was true it seemed that Albion weren’t aware of AX activity… until they’d broken into that lab, anyway. Esther prayed that information didn’t reach Lady Caterina or she was finished. Even if Lady Caterina was starting to doubt Tres, Esther knew he wouldn’t set foot somewhere he wasn’t supposed to without an outside influence. Esther wasn’t sure if she felt better or worse that Tres had been willing to help her with her foolish plan.

Caterina’s cool gaze bored into Esther. Esther could feel the beginnings of panic fluttering in her stomach and she fought to remain calm. Despite the fear, in many ways Esther admired Caterina’s demeanour. The woman exuded power and control. Her eyes shone with a tenacity Esther couldn’t compete with. Esther knew she was stubborn, but Caterina was in another league.

Eventually Caterina sighed irritably and waved a hand.

“Dismissed. But there is going to be consequences for this. Dietrich has been getting too involved in AX’s business as of late and I will not stand for it. Understand?”

Esther nodded and left, heart pounding. She was surprised Caterina had given Esther a peek into her mind. Dietrich was troubling everyone, it seemed. She didn’t want to inquire too deeply though; she just wanted to get away from Caterina’s office as quickly as possible.

She only rounded a corner when she caught sight of Abel walking ahead by himself.

“Abel!” With everything that had happened, her worries about Abel had completely slipped her mind. He swivelled around, smile on his face, which faltered when he saw Esther’s expression.

“Esther, are you all right? You look rushed off your feet,” he said, coming closer.

Esther wasn’t sure what it was – the question, the look of concern on his face, or maybe the fact it was the first time she’d seen Abel in a while – but she found herself barrelling into his chest and bawling her eyes out.

After that she wasn’t quite sure what happened, but she found herself back in her cramped room being held by Abel. When she finally looked up at Abel, he gave a gentle smile.

“Feeling a little better?” he asked and she lowered her head.

“I don’t know. But I needed that. I don’t think it’s all gone yet, though.”

It was still resting there, inside her heart; a mess of emotions with a sticker labelled ‘Tres’ sloppily stuck to it.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head.

“Not right now. I’ve got something more important to do,” she replied and Abel looked bemused.

Esther motioned for him to stand.

“Let’s go outside. I haven’t walked around the gardens in ages. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” he said, opening the door and letting Esther leave first.

Esther felt a little better after her crying spell, though wished Abel hadn’t seen. She was never going to be taken seriously at this rate. Esther drew in the fresh air, clearing her head, and spent a moment gathering her thoughts while looking over the neatly sculpted gardens stretching out below. She didn’t face Abel until she’d found a nice secluded place. He stood patiently, the sunlight making his silver hair shine ethereally. It was time to try and make things right.

“I want to apologise for my prying,” she said, determined to get it all out. Abel went to talk, but Esther raised a hand, “Let me finish. I didn’t find out about your past, so your secret is still safe. I’m sorry I tried to find out more about you behind your back. It’s… just in my nature to do my best to protect the ones I love, to try and gather as much knowledge about them as I can to make sure I know what to shield them from. But I was just being selfish and I shouldn’t have behaved like that. I should have left it alone until you felt comfortable talking about it. I promise I won’t ever do that again. I’ve learnt my lesson. There are some things that should simply be left alone.”

Abel caught the dismal light in her eyes and bowed his head slightly.

“So you got to the bottom of Tres’ past, did you?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I did.”

“And?”

Esther gave him a wan smile.

“And like I said; I’ve learnt my lesson. It’s not my place to say, though I think Tres would tell you if you asked.”

Abel gave her that gentle smile again that broke her heart to look at.

“I’m sorry this has hurt you so.”

“It serves me right,” she said and quickly walked away before she made herself cry again.

She didn’t need any more tears.

* * *

 

Caterina couldn’t concentrate on the paperwork before her. She didn’t like the feeling of things slipping out of her control. Her agents were becoming unreliable. She was used to Hugue de Watteau disappearing for large amounts of time and defying orders, but for her most loyal officer, Tres, to start acting up…

She stood with a sigh and went to look out of the window. The sight of the beautiful gardens calmed her a little. Esther was proving to be both valuable and troublesome. Her connection to Dietrich von Lohengrin could be useful in finally capturing the man, but the problems that had arisen since her arrival was worrying.

She was considering her most valuable asset a potential loose cannon… Caterina never thought she would see the day. It didn’t mean she’d never considered the possibility – it would be short-sighted not to – but for it to actually become reality was another matter entirely. He’d been so loyal, unquestioning of her vision, her plans. She supposed in a way he’d reassured her of her actions.

But now was not the time to be shaken; it was to take all the information she’d gathered and make it work to her favour, to strengthen AX in the long run.

Testing loyalties was her only option. For better or worse, she would see where everyone stood and make the necessary retaliation for those no longer in line.

* * *

Esther passed the rest of the day trying to put herself at ease with everything that had happened. It was the first time she wasn’t travelling somewhere or on a mission in a while. It felt strange to be stationary, though from what Caterina had said, Esther didn’t expect to remain still for long.

_‘Consequences… despite it not being our fault. We had no idea Dietrich was going to be there, no warning that his interest in me would potentially mean he would interfere. Why do we have to pay for that?’_

It wasn’t the time to think about that. There was enough to stress out about without heaping that on top of everything else.

She went to the shooting range to take her mind off things for a little while, though she couldn’t help thinking about practicing with Tres what felt like a lifetime ago. How had things got like this? Forget a lifetime ago, it was more like another life entirely. So much had changed. And she was in the middle of the chaos; she couldn’t tell if this would work out for the best in the end. Right now she didn’t think things would ever be right again.

With a sigh, she pushed her hair behind her ears and focused on shooting straight.

An hour passed in peace before Esther tired and decided she needed to find Tres. Despite knowing he was safe, she didn’t like not seeing him for herself. Sure he’d technically walked into the Vatican under his own power, but it wasn’t like he was in great shape. Could androids deteriorate? Her walking sped up. She knew who to ask about this.

* * *

“Esther? My, my, I haven’t seen you in some time.”

“Sorry, you know how things are around here,” Esther answered with a sheepish smile.

William’s eyes twinkled as he leaning back in his red leather lined chair.

“Yes, we’re all very busy these days. Rosenkreuz have been rather active as of late. So, what brings you here?”

“Tres was brought in yesterday and I was wondering if you knew where he was being repaired. I wanted to make sure he was all right.”

He stood and nodded, picking up his cane and giving it a twirl.

“Yes, I did happen to give him a look over yesterday. He was in a bit of a state, but nothing serious. We have to be very careful with him, though. He’s the only one of his kind left,” he explained as he led Esther out of his office and towards a corner of the Vatican Esther hadn’t been by before; the cellars. Esther was brimming with questions, but decided it was best to keep quiet rather than risk giving away how much she knew about Tres. She kept close to William, finding the cellar corridors claustrophobic. It didn’t help they were poorly lit, making her nervous. William caught sight of her pale wide eyed face and gave her shoulder a pat.

“This place looks a tad unwelcome, but it’s the best place to keep our developing technology safe. Tres is just down here. I would not stay down here long, however. Lady Caterina has been locking things down as of late. So this is just between us, hmm?” William said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and Esther nodded.

“Things have been pretty tense recently. I promise I’ll be no more than ten minutes.”

William nodded.

“Good. He should be in here. I’ll take my leave; I have a few things to attend to. I trust you can make your way out?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for your help. It’s been good to see you again.”

He smiled and gave her a little bow.

“And you too. Don’t be a stranger!” he said and headed deeper into the network of cellar corridors.

Esther drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door before entering.

The first thing she noticed was the quiet but persistent sound of various beeping and dull hum of machines. The second thing was Tres stripped to the waist surrounded in a mass of wires which plugged into his head and chest. He looked untroubled, propped up on a medical table.

“Tres, how are you?” she breathed, closing the door and drawing up beside the table. The slashes in his chest were no longer visible, though Esther fought back the urge to run her hand over where they had been to check they were definitely gone.

“I am fine. The Professor insisted on running in-depth diagnostics to ensure the repairs made are faultless. How are you Esther? Have your injuries been treated?” he asked, watching her intently. Esther ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.

“Injuries? You were pretty much the only injured party. I’ve got a bruise on my shoulder and I was exhausted yesterday, but that was about it. Apart from that, I’m okay. I was worried sick about you, though. It’s hard to get anyone to tell me anything around here. William helped me out, thank goodness.” She stopped talking to stop babbling and try to gather her thoughts. Why couldn’t she ever just get to the point? She peeked up to see Tres’ relentless gaze remain trained on her. Her heart began to hammer in her chest.

“I… what I came here for was to thank you for protecting me. And I’m sorry you got hurt in the process.”

“Without your intervention, it is likely I would have been completely incapacitated. It is you who saved me, Esther,” he told her and Esther slowly nodded.

“I wish it hadn’t come to that. But at the same time, letting you get hurt was unacceptable. I just… it was like an outer body experience. It overrode everything,” she admitted, avoiding his eyes in favour of staring at the brick wall.

“My priority was to ensure your safety as well. AX pairs must look after one another during missions,” Tres told her and she brightened a little.

“Are you going to be down here long?” Esther asked, glancing up at Tres. She noticed how dishevelled his hair was; it looked like it had been mussed up getting the various wires into his head. It made him look like he’d just woken up or something. Esther culled the urge to try and smooth it back into place. Her face warmed at the memory of towelling his hair dry. She’d been so brave with him back then, so carefree.

“The damage was relatively minor with a large area of effect. Once these diagnostics have been cleared, I should be able to return to full duty. Analysis is scheduled to finish in approximately eleven hours.”

Esther found herself reaching out, wanting to make a small connection with Tres, if only to reassure herself he was all right. She took his hand and briefly squeezed it, feeling an odd vibration underneath synthetic skin.

“That’s good to hear. I… better go. William told me I shouldn’t stay here long. You get better and I’ll see you soon,” she said.

Tres carefully squeezed her hand back before letting go.

“See you later, Esther.”

Esther left, closing her eyes for a moment after shutting the door. She felt ridiculous coming all this way to speak to him. She knew what he was like, but still… his monotone had been music to her ears.

* * *

 

The next morning Esther awoke to someone rhythmically banging on her door. She jumped up, fearing something terrible had happened. Opening her door revealed a mild mannered looking messenger.

“Lady Caterina requests your presence at nine o’clock sharp,” he informed Esther and she sighed in relief.

“Thank you for telling me.”

The messenger inclined his head before departing, leaving Esther to shut her door and run a hand down her face.

_‘It seems I’m getting into the habit of fearing the worst,’_ she grimly thought before focusing on pulling herself together. She checked her clock to find she only had half an hour to get ready and hurried to the communal bathrooms.

Twenty minutes later she was running down the corridors to reach Caterina’s office. She stopped just shy of the bench outside to catch her breath.

“Esther! You too, huh?”

Esther’s head snapped up to see Abel come from the opposite direction and take a seat. She sat down beside him with a wry smile.

“Looks like it,” she answered, rearranging her skirts into a comfortable position. Just as she was about ask Abel if she thought they’d be working together again, a noise in the distance got her attention. She turned her head at the sound of a familiar marching footstep. Tres appeared in his usual getup, looking unfazed. While being annoyed at how Tres seemed to shrug most things off, she found herself smiling warmly. She hopped up, hearing Abel stand up behind her.

“Well, well, it’s been a while, friend,” Abel said and Tres nodded.

“It has been approximately two weeks and one day, Father Nightroad,” Tres responded and Abel pouted.

“When are you going to stop calling me Father Nightroad? We’re buddies!”

Tres did not reply, instead sitting on the end of the bench. Esther chuckled, sitting back down. They were finally all together again. It almost felt like the old times she’d longed for. Abel joined them, though still pouting, making Esther smile. Abel caught sight of her expression and found himself grinning.

“Here we all are again,” she said and Abel nodded.

“I must say I’ve missed it,” he confessed and Esther beamed.

“Me too.”

Before she could reminisce, a messenger opened Caterina’s door.

“Lady Caterina would like to see you now,” she said, hand directed at the open doorway.

The three entered. Esther felt she should be more anxious, but with Tres and Abel either side of her, her fears were quelled. It felt silly but she thought she could face anything with them with her. They came to a halt in front of her large ornate desk, which Caterina stood behind, coolly eyeing them.

Caterina was silent for a while, still watching them as she paced behind her desk.

“I have decided on a course of action,” Caterina finally said. She gave no indication of wanting an opinion on her statement, so Esther and Abel exchanged looks but remained silent. Tres kept his gaze straight ahead.

“You three are known to work well together, so I’m assigning all three of you,” Caterina told them and Abel gaped.

“The three of us? What mission could possibly require three AX agents?” Abel blurted.

It did suddenly occur to Esther that the only time the three of them had been a team was before she was even an official AX member. She supposed things were more serious than she’d anticipated, but still felt relatively calm, despite Abel’s clear shock.

Caterina gave Abel a chilly look before putting a hand on her desk, leaning forward.

“You will orchestrate the assassination of Dietrich von Lohengrin. Father Tres and Sister Blanchett’s previous mission has established he will never give up any information to AX, even under torture. He’s too strong and dangerous for capture, therefore he must be eliminated. There have been too many openings he’s closed off to us and it will no longer be tolerated by the Vatican. We will give you the best intelligence we have on him, but it is up to you three, your exceptional abilities and knowledge of the target to track him down.”

Esther kept her eyes on the ground. She couldn’t think of what to say. How could she be expected to kill Dietrich? She still didn’t entirely trust her feelings around him. It was like he had a key into her mind he used to run rampant in there.

“Understood,” Tres responded and Esther looked up at him. He did not acknowledge she was staring and Esther turned to Abel, who put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I understand, Lady Caterina. But don’t you think such a serious operation might be a little out of Sister Blanchett’s league?” Abel suggested and Caterina’s gaze drifted to Esther.

“You are a vital component to this mission. I understand that it will be a hardship, given your past encounters with Dietrich von Lohengrin, but being a part of AX is about strength through adversity. You will be stronger for this, and therefore so will AX.”

“Yes, Lady Caterina. I will do my best,” Esther answered, making Caterina give her a rare slight smile.

Something in Caterina’s words made things click into place in Esther’s head. She was done being considered a damsel in distress, unable to hold her own ground. And she was tired of Dietrich toying with her and making her an emotional wreck in the aftermath. Esther’s resolve was set.

It was time to deal with Dietrich once and for all.


	17. Chapter 17

** Chapter Seventeen **

Esther knew things were serious when the three of them became embroiled in various briefings on where they had to be and routes they had to take based on the intelligence AX had gathered on Dietrich’s location. They’d each been given maps in the event the three of them were split up. Apparently they were going to have to broach a small ridge of snowy mountains to reach Dietrich’s lair.

This mission was making Esther uneasy. How AX even acquired this much information was beyond her, though she was glad for it. The feeling of being sent to a lion’s den wouldn’t shift.

The preparation of equipment and information ate up the few days before they had to set off. Esther didn’t have time to go anywhere or speak to anyone. According to the mission logs Leon had checked in briefly and she wished she’d been able to track him down for even a few moments. But before she knew it they were sent out and headed north.

* * *

 

_‘Back into the field.’_

Esther was beginning to wonder if members of AX got holidays. The three of them were tense and un-talkative, leaving each of them to their thoughts. Esther had hoped it could be like before, but it seemed things had changed too much. Abel tried to be buoyant, but it fell flat; Esther politely tittering while Tres continued on ahead as if they weren’t even there.

The nature of Tres’ origins still weighed heavily on her, as well as poking into Abel’s past. Her apology to Abel hadn’t settled things in her heart. Bringing it up again during this mission would just make things worse.

Time passed. They went from moving north to north-east and the temperature began to drop. Abel and Esther started wearing the thick coats they’d been provided, which also helped them look incognito when they chanced upon any settlements along the way. On one of the colder days – they were slowly ascending a mountainous path that took them higher than Esther anticipated – Abel sidled up beside her. She thought he was going to try and huddle for some warmth, but instead he linked arms with her.

“Esther, I meant to tell you the other day that there’s nothing to forgive about looking into my past. Since I’ve known you, you’ve never done anything maliciously. Though I wished you hadn’t let your curiosity get the better of you, I understood your intentions were good.”

Esther felt her heart jolt at the mention of that conversation. She gave Abel’s linked arm a squeeze.

“No, they weren’t. They were… so selfish. It was because I was scared you were hiding something. I think Dietrich has permanently messed me up. He was kind to me and it turned out the whole thing was a twisted joke. I can’t trust people like I used to. There’s a dark part inside of me now that wants to pry everything apart for me to see. And I hate it, but at the same time I don’t even know what I’m doing. I’m getting better at recognising when I’m going off the deep end, but back then I was blind to it. I swear I’ve learnt my lesson, Abel.”

“I see. I’m glad. It’s important to reflect on these things. But don’t let them get you completely down. You seem so down, Esther, where before you were bright and cheerful,” he gently prodded and Esther mentally flinched.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, “the last mission… was tough. For all sorts of reasons; Dietrich, Tres, myself. It’s all a big mess.”

It was boiling over inside of her. She couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“Abel… I think I… that I might be…” she began, Abel’s eyes widening as she pressed her face into his arm. She just needed a little more courage.

“You can tell me anything, Esther. It’s all right,” he encouraged her and she took a deep breath, leaning back to look at Abel. This was it.

“I think I’m in love with Tres,” she blurted and Abel blinked. Then he blinked again and Esther could feel her face start to contort with worry.

“… I think I have something in my ears. Excuse me,” he finally said, letting her go to rub his ears. Esther shoved him, almost sending him off the edge of their narrow path and off into a large drop.

“You’re so mean!”

“Ahh, are you crazy?!” he yelped, clinging to her. Esther began to laugh, Abel not far behind. It was out in the open, sort of. She’d told another soul how she felt. The weight inside of her had lifted a little and it felt so much better.

The two of them eventually calmed down from their laughing fit, Abel wrapping an arm around her shoulder and looking at her thoughtfully.

“Esther, you silly girl, why do you seem to fall for those you cannot have?” he sighed.

Esther scowled up at him.

“It’s not like I woke up one day and suddenly decided to love Tres!” she snapped, “And who else have I supposedly fallen for that I can’t have?”

Abel looked sombre.

“Well, Dietrich for one. He has expressed an interest in going out with you, though I don’t think he’d treat you very well. And… there’s me…”

Her mouth fell open and Abel gave her a helpless look.

“A-Are you saying you’re too good for me?!” she snapped, tugging her arm out of his to storm off. But Abel quickly took hold of her arm again, making her face him.

“Esther… you know I have a past I’d rather keep to myself. And I do care about you; a lot, Esther. But with one thing and another… well, we’ll always be friends, won’t we?”

She scowled, but Esther could feel herself thawing at his words and slowly hugged him tight.

“Of course, Abel.”

He carefully began stroke her hair.

“I’m sorry for being blunt,” he apologised and Esther shook her head.

“For once, someone is saying what they mean, instead of avoiding the subject. I’m just glad you felt you could tell me.”

“Good. Now where is that troublesome android?” Abel wondered, peering ahead. Tres wasn’t in sight.

“I guess he’s still scouting ahead. He’s been doing that a lot lately,” Esther replied.

As if he’d heard them, he appeared up ahead.

“We should stop for the night. Weather conditions are worsening,” he told them and Abel nodded.

“All right. This wind is picking up a bit.”

* * *

 

The next day, Tres told Abel it was ‘pertinent to ensure hostiles are not tracking us’ and Abel had raised an eyebrow but said nothing, trailing behind them to cover their tracks. Esther spent the next few hours with Tres positively glued to her, making her wonder how much of her conversation with Abel he heard. Usually he would walk ahead and if he did walk with her, not this closely.

Halfway through the day, Esther found Tres had been by her side a more than a suspicious amount of time and summoned the courage to delve into questioning him.

“Tres, what is wrong with you? Were you given orders to follow me around like a lapdog?” she said a little more harshly than she’d intended to.

“Esther, I must speak with you,” he said. There was something in the way he had spoken that made Esther pay attention. They walked even further ahead of Abel, who wailed for them not to leave him.

“We must be quick. Father Nightroad will soon be able to hear us.”

Esther briefly glanced back.

“From this distance?” she wondered aloud. The grip of Tres’ hand on hers dispersed any thoughts she had.

“Lady Caterina gave me separate orders. Orders that, if necessary, you are to be sacrificed if it allows for the capture of Dietrich von Lohengrin,” he told her in a low voice.

Esther opened her mouth, but Tres covered it.

“Listen to me. I would not inform you of this if I had any intent to obey. What I must conclude is the possibility Father Nightroad has received similar orders, in the event that I do not comply. You must be protected at all costs.” He was staring at her, removing his hand over her mouth, the other still awkwardly gripping hers. Esther felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“Tres… why would you do this?” she whispered. She’d never seen such emotion in him.

Tres looked ahead at where they were walking, unable to meet her eyes.

“I no longer can function fully as a machine. You have taken away my ability to reason away any problems I suffered.” He stopped, halted by Abel shouting and drawing closer, and released her hand.

Esther had been rendered speechless. Her heart was pounding. Was she right; did he resent her for revealing the truth?

“Are you two all right? I thought you were trying to ditch me!” Abel gave a lame chuckle, his face slowly becoming sober. Esther looked up at him.

“Abel, did Lady Caterina tell you I should be sacrificed if it meant capturing Dietrich?” she questioned. They couldn’t start distrusting one another; Esther couldn’t stand to lose the trio they’d formed. It would break her heart.

In a flurry of motion Esther’s eyes couldn’t track, Tres had appeared in front of her.

“Tres…” Abel whispered, eyes wide. Esther couldn’t imagine what sort of expression Tres must have had to provoke such a reaction.

“Tres, Caterina told me to watch the two of you for signs of betrayal and to report it. She must have given you different instructions. We are all being tested, don’t you see?”

Esther moved in front of Tres, and went to go to Abel, but was halted by Tres, who pulled her back to him. She felt a fluttering in her stomach at the gesture, but carefully detached herself from him.

“Tres, it’s okay,” she assured him, and went to Abel.

“Why would she do this to us?” she questioned.

Abel looked pained. He tiredly rubbed at his face.

“Because we’re not conforming. Caterina does not like it when her team show signs of deviating from her plans. In her eyes, we’re at risk of bolting like Hugue has. It doesn’t help that it’s her most trusted members,” he indicated Tres. Esther looked back at Tres.

_‘So he’s her most trusted agent. It isn’t surprising, and explains why she started questioning me the time he’d deviated from orders before.’_

Tres had carefully erased any expression from his face, making Esther’s heart sink. Everything was falling apart, and it scared her. She felt Abel place a hand on her shoulder.

“I would never hurt you, Esther,” Abel swore and Esther turned around with a pained smile.

“I know, Abel. But now I don’t know what to do.”

Abel sighed.

“We try to capture Dietrich without harming you and regain Caterina’s trust.”

Esther hugged Abel, who held her tightly to him.

“Do you think we can do it?”

Tres finally spoke.

“We simply must.”

It sounded ominous.


	18. Chapter 18

** Chapter Eighteen **

It was easier said than done coming up with a plan to capture Dietrich rather than simply kill him. They kept walking on, Esther and Abel in step and deep in thought. They’d already gone over several ideas which had fallen pretty flat, but it passed the time and Esther was glad to just be able to talk.

“We need a reason to show up. He’ll know I’m up to something if I don’t have anything I want from him. Some kind of information, but what?” Esther wondered aloud.

Abel rubbed his chin.

“Information on the Rosenkreuz Orden? For all our power, we have relatively little knowledge of a lot of the more powerful members. Do you think he’d be willing to tell you?” Abel questioned.

Esther looked at Tres, who kept several paces in front of them. He didn’t seem to want to be part of the conversation.

“Tres? What do you think?”

Tres didn’t turn around.

“Dietrich von Lohengrin is too dangerous to question while free,” was all he would say.

Abel shuffled closed to Esther, leaning down to whisper, “I think he’s in a mood, or something.”

Esther doubted it, though Tres’ words to her while they’d been alone were rolling around in her head, but said nothing.

“So we’ll ask him about Rosenkreuz. Information is valuable and Dietrich loves to taunt me with it. You two can sneak in, help corner him. You can track me, right, Tres?”

“Affirmative.”

Abel rubbed his hands together.

“Then this should be mostly fine! Dietrich will let you in. Tres will pinpoint where he takes you and we’ll sneak in, avoiding guards, silencing them if need be. Try to have a private conversation with him; make him leave any guards outside or further if you’re able. Then the three of us attack, take him down and get out. Tres can map out an escape route. And Caterina will see what good little pawns we are.”

“Sounds good,” said Esther, her resolve set.

Abel carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, eyes filled with concern.

“But Esther, you won’t put yourself in any more unnecessary danger, will you? This is already more than you should be doing. Keep him talking as long as possible. Don’t let to go to a fight until we get there if possible, alright?”

Esther nodded.

“I know. He loves to talk so it shouldn’t be a problem. And I’ll give Tres a signal if I run into trouble.”

Abel sighed.

“I hope it’s that easy,” he said, and peered at the setting sun, “We should think about setting up camp for the night. We’re going to need firewood before it’s too dark. It’s going to be a cold night.”

They walked a little further until they found a suitable spot where they could defend their position and shield themselves from the wind which was starting to pick up.

Abel went to find some firewood and Esther gathered some nearby rocks to help make the campfire. She noticed Tres approaching her and stood up, failing to read any expression on his face.

Tres took her arm in an iron grip.

“You cannot do this,” he told her and Esther looked up at him with a faint smile. She placed a hand on the arm gripping her.

“It’s alright. I trust you two. You’re my friends. And sometimes you have to take risks. That’s what life is all about, right?”

“I do not know what life is about,” said Tres and Esther suddenly laughed.

“Of course not. No-one does. That’s why sometimes we say or do things to fit our needs. And I need to do this. For myself and AX, though they seem to have thrown me to the wolves this time. If I can prove myself here, I hope AX’s leash might loosen a little. Just a little,” she explained.

“I do not like your reasoning,” he told her and Esther grinned.

“That you feel anything about my reasoning makes me happy, Tres,” she replied and she noticed the brief flit of confusion on his face before letting her go, her hand sliding off his arm, and turning away.

“I must patrol.” And he marched off without a backwards glance.

* * *

 

Esther was troubled by Tres’ behaviour, but put it aside. She had more important things to focus on. Dietrich was beginning to loom in her mind once more. This meeting felt like it had some finality to it. She was determined to capture him once and for all. Despite Abel’s words of warning, Esther knew once she was face to face with Dietrich, she would say and do anything if it meant detaining him. And she knew this single mindedness wasn’t healthy but what else was she to do? Walking away from this mission would be tantamount to treason in the eyes of AX and she feared what punishment they would give.

She didn’t mind the fact that this mission allowed her to put all her troubles with Tres to one side. Catching Dietrich was more important, would do the world good. Pining over Tres just made her feel awful and served no purpose and Tres didn’t seem affected so why should she?

 _‘You just can’t help yourself. It’s Tres, Tres, Tres in here,’_ she chastised herself.

Esther blinked and realised she’d been staring into the fire for a while. She looked over to find Abel peering at her.

“Are you all right? Not getting cold feet, are we?” he asked, then wiggled his feet nearer to the fire, making her relax and smile. His light teasing made her feel so much better. For a moment he reminded her of Leon and a pang hit her.

“I miss Leon. He always seems to be sent somewhere alone, while we’re teamed up,” she said and Tres looked over at her.

“It is uncommon for there to be teamwork between AX members. We are expected to be capable of handling matters alone. It is what distinguishes our order,” he explained.

“But that doesn’t mean there aren’t times we’re called to work together,” Abel chimed in after seeing Esther’s slightly crestfallen face, “Like now! Launching the army would do no good, and one of us wouldn’t be strong enough. So here we are.”

Esther nodded, brightening a little.

“How far are we from Dietrich’s hidey-hole?”

“Approximately thirty-five miles,” Tres answered, pointing north-east and upward. Esther followed his arm and noticed a darker patch of sky she’d taken to be another jut of mountain. On closer inspection, Esther could just make out the curves and peaks of a tower.

_‘So not so much a hidey-hole, but a fortress.’_

“I see. So not too far.”

“When we get closer, we’ll case the place before the sun sets. It’ll be easier to make our escape under the cover of darkness,” Abel said, becoming serious.

“We better rest up then. I’m going to need to be at my best for the big day,” she said, gathering her things to retreat into the nearby shelter they’d set up. It was enough to keep the wind off them. Esther was too focused on tomorrow to really care about sleep.

Abel told her he’d remain by the fire and strategise for a while and Esther had been too distracted to give his words much thought. Despite her buzzing mind, she fell asleep relatively quickly once she lay down, lost to the world for a while.

* * *

 

Tres sat opposite Abel, watching him from across the fire. From Esther’s breathing pattern, he knew she was asleep.

“You are Lady Caterina’s most trusted member,” Tres said without inflection.

Abel levelly returned Tres’ gaze, the reflection of the fire in his blue eyes somehow making them look harder than usual.

“No, _you_ were. I’m simply her oldest guardian,” Abel smoothly replied, “and all three of us are in big trouble, which you know as much. The fact Caterina is questioning the loyalty of both of us – and pitting us against one another, no less – doesn’t exactly bode well. She could have us excommunicated, or worse, if she deems us a potential threat to AX and the Vatican. I don’t think she’ll take things that far, though, thank goodness.”

“I am Lady Caterina’s Killing Doll and nothing more.”

Abel snorted.

“Don’t give me that, Tres. I saw how you were looking at me earlier when you stood in front of Esther. I know that look better than anyone; the desire to kill for another in order to protect them. For an instant you put Esther’s safety above anything. You know I’m capable of destroying you, and yet you still put yourself in front of her.”

Tres mechanically stoked the dying fire.

“I was merely protecting my mission objective. Esther is required in order to capture Dietrich von Lohengrin.”

Abel tilted his face to rest in a hand and sighed.

“Tres, you must understand… Esther has very strong feelings concerning you. If you think the most logical thing to do is let her die to get Dietrich, I want you to know I’ll hunt you to the ends of God’s green Earth to destroy you.”

Abel watched Tres’ blank face and felt his jaw tighten.

“I will scout the area early. The sun will not rise for another five hours. Cover will be optimal,” Tres said, rising to his feet. In the blink of an eye, Abel was in front of Tres, bearing down on him with a soft snarl.

“Don’t try and fob me off with this routine, Tres,” Abel hissed, but pulled back, placing a hand over his face. It took him a moment before he composed himself and faced Tres again, who remained motionless.

“I’m sorry. This whole situation… if anything were to happen to Esther…” he trailed, turning his gaze to Esther’s sleeping form.

“I will not allow it,” Tres eventually replied before leaving.

Abel sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I can see why Esther’s been having so many problems with you lately…”

He sat in front of the fire a while longer, going over every syllable of Tres’ words and minute expressions before finally turning in for the night.

Tres returned several hours later to find the two of them asleep and the fire now warm embers, wisps of smoke trailing into the lightening sky. He crouched briefly beside Esther, his hand automatically reaching out to gently push back the hair obscuring her face. As if catching himself in the act, he suddenly stopped and stood, returning to the dead fire to wait for the sun to rise.

* * *

 

Esther awoke cold and stiff, but otherwise refreshed considering. She yawned and stretched, sitting up to see Tres sitting with his back to her and Abel, who was nearby and still curled up.

“Morning,” she said, shuffling over to sit next to Tres.

“Good morning,” Tres blandly replied.

Esther sighed and leaned her head against his arm. He didn’t move. She’d half expected him to shift so she lost her balance.

“I’m a little nervous about tonight.”

“It will be dangerous.”

“I’m more nervous about meeting Dietrich again. He… has a way of talking that gets to me.”

 _‘Like a spell I can’t break. And I can’t fight him off with anger, like usual. I’ve got to let him in, and that’s what I’m afraid of,’_ she silently continued, but felt unable to say directly to Tres. He wouldn’t understand; or worse would decide she shouldn’t go.

“It is a mission. You are the weapon AX wields. Your emotions do not matter.”

“Hah! That’s rich coming from you,” she snorted, “One minute you seem almost human, and the next you… aren’t. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

There was silence.

“You made me this way.”

Esther froze for several moments before pulling away from his arm and stiffly walking away, silently packing her things. It was as she feared; he was resentful. And he was right to be, she thought as she shoved her stuff into her bag. If she hadn’t pushed the issue, hadn’t been so set on digging for the truth, he’d still be blissfully ignorant and free to continue being… Tres. But she’d messed it all up. No amount of apologies could fix what she’d done to him. She didn’t think saying it was in the name of love would particularly move him. Even she wasn’t entirely convinced.

 _‘Love… I didn’t love him back then. Not like now.’_ She practically choked on her own thoughts. Everything was different not so long ago. And now… she had no idea what it was.

The sound of Abel stirring made her jump. He uncurled like a giant cat, sitting up and stretching his arms out in front of himself before blinking and noticing Esther. The bright smile he gave her made her want to cry, but she gave him a dry smile instead.

“Good morning. Are you alright?” he asked, taking in her off expression, and Esther finished her packing and lightly tossed her bag next to Tres’ untouched one.

“A little nervous, I guess,” she replied. She could tell Abel didn’t buy it, but he asked no further, making her feel a little better. Tonight needed her attention now than talking about how much she’d ruined her relationship with Tres forever and didn’t even have the courage to just have it out. At least not there and then.

Once they’d gathered their things and hid the evidence of their camp, they pressed on. They took a few breaks, for Esther’s sake – she wasn’t used to walking with a near constant incline. By five in the evening they were very close. Esther watched the guards march around the massive mansion. She idly wondered what Dietrich was doing inside, though didn’t really wish to know the answer.

 _‘Something horrible, knowing him,’_ she thought darkly.

Abel and Tres cased the place as extensively as they could, taking care to avoid guards or other security measures. Esther was forced to stay put, watching from afar, though she didn’t mind. She needed to concentrate on what to say to Dietrich, how to act, to allay his suspicion. And most importantly not allow herself to be sucked in by his words, not matter how honeyed.

By seven, Abel and Tres had done all they could. They’d worked out the most likely place to sneak in undetected. Esther got the impression Abel was quietly confident, which reassured her. Tres gave her nothing.

“The guards aren’t going to shoot me on sight, are they?” she quietly worried and Abel shook his head.

“If you walk up to the main entrance unarmed, I’m sure they’ll treat you as a visitor. Knowing Dietrich and his unhealthy attachment to you, he’s probably informed the guards of you in case you turn up.”

“He’s egotistical enough to think I’d go after him,” Esther muttered with a frown.

“You should play that up to your advantage,” Abel counselled and Esther nodded.

“Give me an hour. If I’m not able to leave by then, come and get me.”

Abel and Tres stood side by side, watching her as she prepared to say farewell. Tres was eyeballing her in a way that made Esther think he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. So she just smiled and squeezed Tres’ hands.

“I’ll be right back. Promise,” she said. She didn’t dare try and hug him; she was sure he’d push her away after this morning. So she turned to Abel, who she did hug.

“Any hint of things going wrong and I want you to signal Tres,” Abel said, muffled by pressing his face into her shoulder.

“Of course. It feels like we’ve been over this a thousand times.”

Tres opened his mouth – Esther supposed to tell her exactly how many times they’d gone over the plan – and she put a finger to his lips. They felt firmer than regular lips, she found herself thinking idly. And he was warmer than a human, like he always felt to the touch. Then Esther paid attention to what she was doing and quickly pulled her hand back.

“Sorry. I don’t need figures right now,” she said sheepishly and turned to face the mansion. It was massive and foreboding, but Esther expected no less of Dietrich. He seemed to live in a fairy tale and this building fit the cliché perfectly. The boy was the stuff of nightmares.

“Good luck,” said Abel and Esther chuckled.

“Thank you. See you soon.”

And she headed off into the night.


	19. Chapter 19

** Chapter Nineteen **

Esther could practically feel Tres and Abel’s eyes on her back as she emerged from the rocky pathway onto the grand walkway towards the main entrance of Dietrich’s fortress. The doors were made of an ornately carved thick dark oak and loomed over her. The carvings were intricate and featured all manner of gothic imagery. They made Esther wary. It was beautiful and terrible all at once; very Dietrich.

There was a large bell pull off to the side of the right door, which Esther pulled while composing her face. It sounded deep and foreboding.

It took a while for the door to be answered. A well dressed man eventually appeared, who immediately flashed his fangs before settling into a contemptuous stare.

“You rang?” he drawled and Esther found herself folding her arms.

“I’m here to see Dietrich. I have some things I’d like to talk to him about,” she explained and the man snorted, but lightly waved her in. Esther became a little unnerved when she watching him haul the massive door he’d opened shut as if it weighed nothing.

“Please, take a seat. I must inform the master of your abrupt arrival.” He pointed to a love seat inlayed with rich dark red velvet. She didn’t move and he shrugged before disappearing in a blur.

 _‘This place is weird. That guy is weird. I don’t like it here,’_ she fretted, eyeing the massive foyer. Two flights of stairs stretched either side of the room, leading up to a large balcony and a doorway beyond. The room was filled with paintings and a variety of sculptures. It was as if Dietrich was showing off his wealth and power to anyone who dared cross into his territory. The annoying thing was, it was working on her. She felt overwhelmed. Despite the space, she felt hemmed in, weighed down by the grandeur surrounding her.

Before she could start to panic, the man returned.

“Dietrich extends his warmest greetings and wishes to speak with you immediately. If you would follow me,” he said, turning on his heel and walking up one of the staircases. Esther paused for a moment before following him. The plan was beginning to fall apart in her mind. Dietrich was always a hundred steps ahead, viewing the long game with a smirk on his too pretty face.

The Methuselah opened another large set of doors revealing a massive hall. From what Esther could tell, it was as wide as the whole building, as she spied windows on both eye level and lining a balcony that ran around the upper outer edges. The size of the room was unnerving.

 _‘Is Dietrich trying to keep me off balance?’_ she nervously wondered as she looked around.

“I get to talk to him in private?” Esther suddenly asked when she noticed a few people, presumably Methuselah, dotted around the hall. Some were reading, others simply lounging on fancy sofas.

“Of course. Dietrich would have no less.” He glanced at her with a simpering smile. It turned Esther’s stomach, and she hadn’t even got Dietrich’s own brand yet.

There was another series of stairs; two leading up and one leading down. The Methuselah led her down, where yet another door lay. He lightly tapped on it.

“Come in,” a familiar voice crooned, making Esther falter.

The Methuselah unlatched the door, but didn’t push it open, instead bowing and walking away without another word. Esther closed her eyes, calming herself before slipping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Esther turned around to find a very… red and velvety room. A bedroom, on second glance. With Dietrich positively draped across a loveseat on third glance.

 _‘This was a really,_ really _, bad idea.’_

“The most enchanting Esther Blanchett!” Dietrich exclaimed, smirk making his eyes gleam in a way that made Esther uneasy. He gracefully rose to his feet and paced forward. Esther remained rooted to the spot; if she moved right then, she knew she’d never stop running.

“Dietrich. You tried to kill me. Again. After all the harm you did in Albion, you couldn’t even let me and Tres return to the Vatican in peace?!” Esther found herself snapping.

A grin curled upon Dietrich’s lips.

“I love it when you’re angry. All that fiery passion in your eyes. And all for me.”

Esther closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again.

“That’s all you have to say?” she flatly asked.

“No. I wanted to let you know how you’re always on my mind. Unfortunately, my subordinates took matters into their own hands. If you and your little robot hadn’t taken care of them, I would have.”

He took her hand and led her further into the room, offering her a seat. She gave him a look, but sat down. He sat beside her, practically in her lap he was so close. His cloying scent was making her even more uncomfortable.

 _‘Tres never smells of anything much. And Abel smells like old books, but I like Leon’s smell most; a sort of indescribable manly musk,’_ Esther thought, calming herself a little. She hoped Tres and Abel had got inside the building. She realised too late she wouldn’t be able to withstand Dietrich for long.

Dietrich’s long fingers brushed some of Esther’s hair behind her ear so he could see her better and she repressed a shudder.

“So you’re honestly telling me those two Methuselah were just messengers?”

Dietrich leaned closer. She could feel his warm breath trailing down her neck.

“Well, I wouldn’t have shed tears over your robot getting scrapped,” he purred, “He was getting too close to you and I want you all to myself.”

“It’s none of your business how close or not Tres and I are,” Esther replied and Dietrich leaned back on the chair with a sigh.

“Did you really come all the way here to my little abode to chastise me for sending my love?” he asked with a mocking pout.

She could feel that pull, his words weaving their way into her mind. Even as each word sounded hollow to her ears, he always somehow moved her heart and she hated that he had that power over her.

“I came here for you,” she said, slowly getting to her feet to pace around the room, avoiding his gaze following her.

“Esther…”

Esther looked over at Dietrich, who was walking towards her. He looked a little predatory in the eyes, but his general manner seemed relaxed.

_‘He knows he’s in complete control.’_

Dietrich giggled.

“Like I believe you would willingly run off with me. I can dream! No… you want something from me. It will cost you, you know.”

_‘Of course he knew. I bet he knows Abel and Tres are closing in on him, too. Yet he seems untroubled, even excited, by our conversation. Cost means nothing to me anymore if it keeps him in place a little longer…’_

Esther nodded, humourless.

“I know. Name your price, Dietrich.”

Dietrich smirked, his fingers tapping his lips while he thought.

“Hmm… what should my price be?” He walked around Esther, his eyes raking up and down her body, to her discomfit. She jumped when one of his pale hands caught her under the chin, drawing their faces close. Esther’s heart slammed with fright in her chest.

“A part of me…” he mused, lightly turning her face, “wants to ravish you, to make you mine forever. Then you could no longer pretend to be a nun anymore.”

Esther shuddered as his fingers caressed her cheek, brushing her hair back from her temple.

“But another part wants you to suffer,” he gripped her chin tighter, his other hand holding her still at the waist, “and cry my name in pain, begging me to stop. It’s a tough choice, Esther. I do love to hear you scream.”

Esther remained deathly still, trying to think of a way to put some space between the two of them. She swallowed, meeting his dark eyes and wrapping her arms around his waist. Dietrich slightly raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Dietrich… if you love me, why do you want to hurt me so much?” she whispered.

“Because love and pain are the same thing, my dearest. When I hurt you, I’m baring my love to you. When I love you, you’ll inevitably be hurt,” he said, voice low and husky, lips just touching her throat as he spoke. Esther swallowed. Her chest was getting tight.

Dietrich pulled back, dragging his eyes up and down her body.

“I think you need to shed a few layers,” he decided. In a lash of his strings, her sleeves and hood were gone. He chuckled at her wide eyes.

 _‘He loves your fear. He loves keeping you on the edge. If you tip over the edge, you’ll never get out here alive,’_ a small voice in the back of her mind whispered, and she forced herself to at least appear only momentarily stunned. She faintly wondered if he could hear her panicked heartbeat.

“What do you want from me, Dietrich? Before all this AX and Rosenkreuz stuff, it was all different. I know you were just pretending to care back then, but why keep harassing me now?”

“Harassing, you say? I trouble you, I understand. But not in the ways everyone thinks you are. _They_ think you’re afraid of my interest, that you hate what I put you through. But in all honesty, you can’t sort all those spiralling feelings out. Do you hate or love me? Can you save me from this? Are you strong enough to endure my love? These are the questions you won’t allow yourself to explore; not because you fear me, but because you fear what your little friends will think.”

Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. The adrenaline was starting make her nauseous. She squeezed her eyes shut. His thin wires lashing her arms made her open her eyes with a gasp. They were so fine she hardly felt the pain, but the blood beginning to run down her arms was very real.

“You’re trying to worm your way into my head and put things that aren’t there,” she forced out.

“No; I’m telling you the things you deny in your heart. Perhaps you and your metal friend have more in common than I first thought,” he considered, folding his arms while watching the blood trail down her bare arms with perverse satisfaction.

_‘Don’t listen to him! He’s trying to keep you off balance!’_

Esther took several deep breaths. Her head and heart were a mess, but it wasn’t all Dietrich; she’d been like this for a while.

“Dietrich… I thought I loved you,” she eventually admitted and his eyes positively gleamed with triumph, “but that was a lifetime ago. AX, and everyone in it, has changed me. I’m not that silly girl who thought killing in revenge would solve all my problems. I’m not the girl you led towards that revenge with a few well placed words and gestures. AX have given me true friends, and strength I never knew I had. I don’t need you to support me like I did back then. I can stand on my own two feet. The love I thought I had for you was a remnant from those dark days of the past. You’re nothing but a man trying to hurt others for his own sick pleasures.”

Dietrich’s expression darkened briefly, but his customary smirk remained firmly in place.

“You give back just as good as me,” he said, caressing her cheek, “I knew you had it in you. Before, we were on unequal ground. But now we can stand together. I still love you, even if you deny that my feelings are true. I understand you want to make this a transaction and distance yourself. I will honour that agreement. Are you prepared to endure my love?”

Esther slowly nodded.

_‘Anything to get this over with. Where are you guys?’_

“But first we need to disarm you. For your own protection of course,” Dietrich said and Esther’s eyes widened. He leaned in close to her with a smile.

“I know you’ve got a gun, Esther,” he whispered, running a hand up her leg and touching the metal of her gun strapped to her thigh. Her blood ran cold.

“How did you know?” she breathed. Dietrich smirked.

“I’m not angry, darling Esther. I knew you wouldn’t set foot here without being armed. But with the love I’ve lavished on your arms, I doubt you could shoot straight, let alone me. Not that you ever would, Esther.”

She had to admit, she was starting to feel the pain from his initial show of ‘love’.

Dietrich fluttered his long eyelashes as he ran a hand down her bloodied arms. Esther remained in place, waiting.

“I could make you dance, Esther. I choose not to because you’ve always been mine,” he sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. Esther was beginning to feel like a possession, but grit her teeth and kept still.

“I want to lavish my attention on your arms, today. They’re so slender and beautiful. But I won’t leave scars, at least none you’ll be able to see. My strings are far too thin. But don’t let that deceive you; they’re extremely tensile and strong. I’m sure Caterina Sforza would kill to gain such a technology. You can tell her all about it next time you stop by the Vatican.”

Esther went to tell Dietrich that the Vatican wasn’t some kind of holiday destination or out of town friend but he’d wrapped his strings around her wrists, dragging her arms up above her head.

“I don’t want you wriggling about while we have our fun,” he said and a new set of strings lashed her from shoulder to wrists. Esther couldn’t suppress a cry of pain as these strings cut over the first wounds, making them sting like crazy. They felt like fine whips cutting into her.

Esther lost track of time, distracted by the intense pain Dietrich caused. All her mind could focus on was praying for Tres and Abel’s arrival and the throbbing pain in her arms. Dietrich didn’t laugh at her pain; his expression was completely passionless as he focused on the task at hand.

 _‘Sure, it’s true love, Dietrich,’_ Esther sarcastically thought before he reapplied those horrific strings again. The pain was beginning to fade as her arms fell asleep.

It wasn’t until Dietrich suddenly released the strings holding her arms up and they flopped to her sides, filled with pins and needles that Esther could finally tune in properly to what was going on. Dietrich finally smiled again, as if remembering that’s how he dealt with her and Esther felt the pins and needles become replaced once more with throbbing pain.

“You’ve endured wonderfully, Esther. Your blood,” he said and licked her shoulder, making Esther cringe with revulsion, “is delightful.”

“But you’re not---”

“A Methuselah? No, why would I need to be to taste this? Pain comes in many forms, my love.”

He watched her for moment, taking in her torn, bloodstained clothes with a sparkle in his eyes.

“I will to reward you for this, like we agreed. You want information on the Rosenkreuz Orden, don’t you?”

Esther drew in a breath, determined to push the pain aside and focus on the task at hand.

“Yes, please, Dietrich.”

A smile curved on Dietrich’s lips. Esther could never fully accept someone so beatific looking could have such a black heart.

“A little secret, then. But you have to promise you will wait to report it to Caterina Sforza and your little crew when you get back to the Vatican. You don’t want the big one – Abel, right? – to lose it right now.”

Esther’s couldn’t help but let a grim expression cross her face and Dietrich gave a hearty laugh.

“Oh, you don’t think I believe you came alone? I know Caterina Sforza can be a bitch, but even she’s smart enough not to send an agent of your calibre into the lion’s den alone. And Abel wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to investigate Rosenkreuz. He’s already suspicious. I want to confirm those suspicions. One name,” he said, lifting one long thin finger.

He leaned close. For a heart stopping moment Esther thought he was going to kiss her, but he actually leant close to her ear.

“Cain.”

He straightened to look at Esther’s confused expression.

“That’s all they’ll need to hear, promise.”

A loud noise in the distance made Dietrich look in the sound’s direction before sighing.

“It’s a shame your friends showed up so soon,” Dietrich pouted and hope began to swell in Esther’s chest.

_‘They need to get here soon if we’re going to capture him!’_

Dietrich stepped back from Esther, who felt a shock of panic that he was going to run and moved towards him. He tilted his head slightly at her reaction and his smile grew.

“You thought to try and cage me, dearest Esther? You would have been better off storming this place. Far less messy in the long run. But everything is perfectly clear in hindsight, hmm?”

He began to walk away and Esther reacted suddenly. All she knew was she could not let Dietrich get away and jerked forward, picking up and flinging a nearby chair at his head, ignoring the searing pain in her arms. Halfway through the air it stopped in place and Dietrich smiled.

“My strings are capable of anything.”

With a flick of his wrists, the chair crashed into pieces against a wall. Esther gaped.

“I adore your surprise,” he said and ran for the door. Esther eyed her gun off to the side on the floor and snatched it up before darting after Dietrich.

She shoved her way through the double doors, raising her gun once she was clear of the doorway. Her arms felt like lead weights now. Dietrich had done his worst. She ran up the stairs to get her first good look into the main hall.

Esther didn’t know why she’d expected the main hall to be empty, but to her shock there were several Methuselah still there, apparently not drawn off by the chaos Tres and Abel had likely caused. Dietrich was darting for the stairs next to the staircase they’d just exited. He stopped though when the Methuselah began to charge towards Esther, who began to raise her gun slower than she liked.

“Leave her to me!” Dietrich shouted, but it was too late; one of the Methuselah launched himself at Esther with a hiss. In a flash, Dietrich had swung the Methuselah through several chairs and bookcases around the hall with his strings before whipping him through the upper floor balcony with a near deafening crash through the marble.

The other Methuselah immediately backed off as Dietrich gave them a cold glare. The tension was broken when Esther fired at Dietrich, the fiery pain in her arms be damned. Her aim was off though and she instead hit the floor a foot to the right of Dietrich, who turned Esther.

“You really thought you could capture me like this?” he tutted and started to run.

“No, Dietrich! Come back!” Esther yelled, rushing after him, each step causing agony in her arms. He darted through the wreckage, briefly glancing back at Esther.

“So sorry to run, Esther my love! But it seems we must eternally be interrupted,” he called back, using puppet strings to launch him up a floor through a broken balcony. Esther halted, watching Dietrich run along the balcony towards a shattered window.

“Dietrich!”

He paused at the window frame, the moonlight catching those accursed strings in its light. She could see they were curled up outside the window; his escape route. He smiled and blew her a kiss.

“This is our fate; to chase one another. Next time leave your friends behind and perhaps we may be able to finally remain together,” he told her, fluttering his long eyelashes. Esther shook her head.

“You know I can’t let that happen.”

Dietrich chuckled.

“We’ll see,” he said and then whipped upwards out of sight.

* * *

 

Tres methodically cleared the corridors, heading towards the large hall he’d detected on reconnaissance earlier. Abel had split off when they’d first got in, nodding conspiratorially before disappearing around a corner. Tres calculated that Abel would eliminate the majority of the Methuselah littering Dietrich’s stronghold. He briefly wondered what Esther would make of that fact, though Abel had made it very clear to Tres not to bring up his status as a Crusnik.

Tres stormed down another corridor, blasting a Methuselah who had started to hiss and charge. A flicker of satisfaction ran through him at the one shot kill before moving on.

Getting to Esther and Dietrich was taking too long. Tres had observed how erratic Esther’s behaviour could get when she interacted with Dietrich. It made her even more vulnerable.

Something was taking him over inside, making him speed up. He needed to get to Esther before Dietrich or some Methuselah killed her.

* * *

 

Esther was left in a temporary standoff between the Methuselah in the hall and herself. It seemed Dietrich’s word was law and keeping them away, but with his lengthening absence they couldn’t decide whether to attack or not.

She reloaded her gun.

“I need to get out of here,” she said calmly, “and you have a choice; either get out of my way or fight me and risk Dietrich’s wrath when he finds out what you’ve done. If I were you, I’d walk away and live to fight another day.”

There was a pause and the tension was positively palpable before a female Methuselah hissed before turning and leaving the hall. Slowly, the rest slunk away, giving her deathly looks before disappearing.

Esther sighed and her heart finally felt lighter than ever. She felt like she’d been freed of most the fears she’d ever had. After enduring Dietrich again, she didn’t think anything would bother her again.

With a rumble, one of the halls double doors opened and Tres entered the room, one hand clamped to his arm, which had a deep gash down to a metal joint.

“Dietrich got away…” Esther found herself saying hopelessly as he walked towards her. As she’d feared, she’d failed and they were all going to have to face Lady Caterina’s wrath.

“Esther… I began to believe…” he trailed, staring at her. Esther looked over at Tres, her heart swelling at the sight. He’d worried for her. He always had, even back in the beginning. She should have paid more attention. But it didn’t matter; they were still here, together.

Esther very slowly moved closer to Tres. He watched her, remaining motionless, as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Her hands slid up against his chest and came to rest on his broad shoulders. Her arms were in agony but she no longer cared.

He didn’t respond at first, but gradually her slowly despairing kiss was jerkily returned. Before it could progress any further though, Esther pulled back at the sound of another door opening.

“Abel!” Esther cried and ran over to him. He was covered in blood.

“Don’t worry,” Abel said with a wan smile, “This isn’t mine.”

Esther bowed her head.

“We’ve failed,” Esther lamented, eyes wandering back to where Dietrich made his escape.

“We did our best,” Abel tried to comfort her, putting a hand on her shoulder; “It was all we could do. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here quicker.”

“Lady Caterina will be displeased,” Tres interjected and Abel sighed.

“Caterina knows that Dietrich von Lohengrin is extremely dangerous. Trying to pit us against one another while on this mission is inexcusable as our leader.”

“Then we are left with three courses of action: Do not return, return without alerting Lady Caterina we uncovered her loyalty tests, or return and confront her,” Tres said, staring levelly at Abel. Esther got a funny feeling he was avoiding looking at her and her heart began to sink again.

Abel briefly bowed his head.

“I will not forsake AX; I cannot. Nor can I ignore how she tried to manipulate us. I say we confront her.”

Esther nodded.

“I’ll only leave AX if given an ultimatum; AX is all I have left,” she thought of Abel and Tres, but they were so tied up with AX, it was the same thing to her, “Though it scares me, I’ll confront her. As long as you two are with me.”

Abel managed a slight smile.

“Right back at you, Esther,” he chuckled, but she could hear his heart wasn’t in it.

“Then it is decided. We must ensure we cannot be followed from this place and leave,” Tres decided, turning on his heel and leaving the hall.

Abel and Esther shared a look. When the door half hanging from its hinges closed after Tres and they could no longer hear his footsteps, Abel spoke.

“Is everything alright?” he asked and Esther shrugged.

“I don’t know anymore.”


	20. Chapter 20

** Chapter Twenty **

The three of them had used what they could find in the now deserted stronghold to patch themselves up. Esther’s arms were in the worst shape and were carefully bandaged up by Abel while Tres repaired the massive gash to his own arm. Esther was surprised Abel hadn’t got a scratch on him, but had too much on her mind to worry about it.

Once they had pulled themselves together, they silently headed away from the now fairly devastated fortress. Esther couldn’t believe how much damage Tres and Abel had managed to do in the fray.

They didn’t talk much. She supposed they were each trying to think of how to confront Caterina. Esther kept turning over ideas on how to broach their failed mission with little success. Tres had sent a message on to AX stating their failure to capture or kill Dietrich and had only received instructions they were to return immediately. Esther swallowed. It didn’t sound good.

It was strange returning to the Vatican with Tres and Abel. It reminded her so much of their first adventure together, yet everything was so different between the three of them. It was no longer arguing over defining a ‘feeling’ and trying to explain the concept of Murphy’s Law. Things were tense. She and Abel were fretting about how to approach Caterina, and Tres… Esther had no idea what was going on in his head. Ever since the kiss, he’d been distant. He was a closed book again, his contents unknown. It was the only thing Esther felt was like the beginning; the mystery that was Tres Iqus. But this time, her heart wrenched at the sight of him, at the thought it was somehow her fault.

“Esther, watch your step,” Abel said, gripping her arm. She was getting a little too close to the ledge they were walking along. She’d been in such a daze, she hadn’t even noticed. Tres was up ahead, apparently scouting a path. That’s what he’d told them, but she didn’t believe him.

She was at a loss. Dietrich’s words still went around her head. Somehow, he always managed to invade her thoughts, haunt her while she slept. The name ‘Cain’ floated around in her head, taunting her, along with Dietrich’s warning. Would saying the name really make Abel go berserk? If it were true, surely that meant this Cain person had done something to Abel? So, he had a right to know. All she had was a name, no context. She didn’t even know how this Cain related to the Rosenkreuz Orden. Or if anything Dietrich had told her was true, for that matter.

“Esther…” Esther whipped her head over to Abel, who watched her worriedly.

“You’ve been lost in thought for hours. Are you all right?”

“Just a lot of my mind. It’ll pass.”

“Is it about… Tres?” he lightly probed and Esther shrugged.

“It’s a lot of things. Do you really think he went to scout ahead?” she asked and Abel shook his head.

“No, I don’t. He could have done that from here. Is something wrong?”

Esther laughed mirthlessly.

“I don’t know. But I think this is a case where time will resolve things, so please don’t worry.”

Esther had decided; she would wait for Tres, however long it too him to process everything that had happened.

Abel linked arms with Esther.

“Okay. I think we both deserve some rest and relaxation!” he proposed and Esther raised an eyebrow.

“Do we even have anything in the Vatican we could do?”

Abel paused, mouth open and Esther giggled. She caught the sparkle in Abel’s eye and was glad he knew how to cheer her up. She gave his arm a squeeze.

“I think sometimes we live too seriously. I know we have to with all the dangers we face, but sometimes it would be nice to simply let everything go for a while,” she sighed.

“That’s why it’s important to have friends. They’re a refuge in this brewing storm. I don’t think we could have accomplished what we did back there if we weren’t friends,” Abel pointed out and Esther nodded.

“I think you’re right Abel. I trust you two with my life.”

Abel cuddled her close and Esther hugged him back, relief washing through her. Comfort seemed like a scarce commodity lately, so she savoured Abel’s warmth.

“Thanks,” she eventually said, pulling back to keep walking together, “I really needed that.”

Abel nodded.

“I could tell. You look like the world is about to end,” he gently told her and Esther gave a half-hearted chuckle.

She had a terrible feeling her world was going to end soon.

* * *

 

It took roughly a week to make it back to the Vatican. Esther’s arms were almost completely healed in that time. She still got minor spasms of pain across her arms, letting her know where each wound Dietrich inflicted was, even if she couldn’t make them out any longer.

The guards let the three of them in on sight and informed them they were to seek medical evaluation before reporting in to Lady Caterina. Tres marched off to have diagnostics run while Abel walked with Esther to the medical wing.

“We’ll meet outside Lady Caterina’s office,” he promised, giving Esther’s hand a light squeeze before leaving her.

Without a word, she knocked and entered her designated physician’s office at his, “Come in.”

“Sister Esther Blanchett, I was informed you may be injured,” her doctor said, standing up.

“I think I’m okay, it’s just my arms,” she said, explaining what happened while he carefully removed her makeshift bandages.

“Dietrich said it wouldn’t scar,” she said and the doctor nodded as he finished examining her arms.

“He was right. At least not noticeably, I would have thought. These wounds have already closed and must have been extremely tiny when first made. I would keep putting this salve on for a week to speed the healing process up nonetheless.”

Esther took the jar of salve, tucking it into a pocket.

“Thank you, doctor.”

He made her stay another ten minutes while he checked her over for any other injuries. Finding nothing of note, he let her go with a mild caution not to strain her arms for another few weeks if she could help it. She nodded and closed the door behind her with a sigh.

Esther really didn’t want to face Lady Caterina right then. She didn’t think she had the strength to face her even with Tres and Abel by her side. Tres had been so distant and she was afraid what Dietrich had told her would upset Abel. It was too much to bear.

She paced around, eventually deciding if no-one was outside Caterina’s office, then she return to her room and let someone drag her back.

Nervously, she peered around the corner that led down the corridor to Caterina’s office. Her heart sunk. Tres was sat on one of the benches. So she reluctantly sat beside him without looking at him.

But, as always with him, she couldn’t help herself.

“Tres…” she found herself saying, and he turned to look at her. She couldn’t identify the emotions in his eyes, but the fact they were there at all comforted her immensely.

“I didn’t mean to push that kiss on you,” she whispered, “I just… was lost in the moment. Do… do you forgive my trespass?”

Tres said nothing for a moment before standing up.

“There is nothing to forgive.”

Before Esther could say anything in return, Abel rounded the corner looking serious.

“Are we all ready?” Abel asked and Esther shrugged.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Affirmative.”

Tres knocked smartly on the door.

“Come in,” Caterina’s familiar voice replied.

Tres opened the door and let Abel and Esther through before following and closing the door. Silently, they lined up in front of Lady Caterina’s desk. Today she was sitting behind it, looking distinctly displeased.

“Tres informed me you failed to capture or kill Dietrich von Lohengrin. Give me your accounts immediately to explain this disaster,” she snapped.

Esther started to life, giving her account first before Abel and Tres each gave theirs. Abel furtively eyed Esther, who blinked nervously, understanding what he was about to do.

“Lady Caterina, the reason our plan went as it did was due to being completely honest with one another. Included the separate orders you gave myself and Tres. We decided we would not put your politics before our mission and Esther’s safety.”

Esther saw Caterina’s expression change to cold fury as Abel spoke, her nostrils flaring at the word ‘politics’. Caterina eyed the three of them inscrutably. Esther’s legs began to tremble slightly.

“You make it all sound like a child’s game. This is no game. Every decision I make is to ensure that AX is not compromised. All three of you have displayed tendencies toward insubordination in recent months. It is inexcusable to put AX at risk and I will lower that risk at any cost. I knew Dietrich is willing to deal with us when Sister Esther Blanchett is involved. I theorised that his obsession would not permit him to kill her, because he sees this as a game and Sister Blanchett as a plaything. His plaything would be no good to him dead. So I believed that you two,” she shot a glare at Abel and Tres, “were suitably motivated to protect her and attempt to kill Dietrich von Lohengrin. But like the insubordinate children you are, you conspired together with your own plans that ultimately have garnered us nothing of use.”

“That’s not true!” Esther suddenly spoke, “He… he did give me a name. But he made me promise to wait until I was here to make my report.”

Abel stared at Esther.

“You never said a thing…”

Esther gave him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t want anyone to worry. I have a bad feeling about… what might happen.”

Caterina narrowed her eyes.

“Tell me.”

Esther could feel her breath quickening. Her eyes kept darting to Abel, who watched, face pale.

“He just said one name. I don’t know if he was leading me on, or lying…”

“It does not concern you. I shall discern its veracity,” Caterina coldly replied.

Esther mutely nodded.

“It was… ‘Cain’.”

Abel’s mouth dropped open momentarily before he surged towards Esther, hands wrapping around her arms. Her face tightened at his grip.

“That is all he said? He definitely said Cain?” Abel demanded. Esther had never seen him so desperate, almost possessed.

“Y-yes. Is it important?”

Abel let her go, pacing about like a caged animal.

“He’s their leader. I should have known he wouldn’t die so easily! I’m leaving,” he snapped, whirling around for the door.

Caterina stood up, eyes blazing.

“You go nowhere without my permission!” she shouted.

Abel turned back. Esther had never seen him look so scary. His eyes practically glowed with rage.

“I go where I please,” he growled and left.

Caterina looked ready to kill for a moment before sitting down, a glimmer of regret in her eyes.

“You two are dismissed,” she said, and Esther left without a word, swiftly followed by Tres.

“He was so upset… I shouldn’t have said anything,” Esther whispered, sitting on a nearby bench and putting her face in her hands.

“It was vital data.”

“Who cares? Abel was upset! I should have known it was going to cause trouble. As much as I hate Dietrich, he rarely lies; he just goes for the piece of truth that will hurt the most. Bastard!” She smacked the bench with a clenched fist, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

Esther felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over at Tres, who had sat down beside her.

“You understand that sometimes it’s better to stay quiet to save another’s feelings, right?”

“I believe so.”

“Well, that was the situation I should have used it. I should have just told Caterina. Dietrich made it sound like it would very important to Abel, though, so I thought he had a right to know. Now… I’m not so sure it was for the best. I’m such an idiot! I always fall into Dietrich’s stupid plots!”

“Dietrich von Lohengrin is a master manipulator. It could not be helped. Perhaps in the long run, telling Abel was the best course of action.”

Esther sniffed, giving Tres a watery smile.

“Thanks. I… think I’ll take a walk, get some fresh air. I need to clear my head,” she said, standing and Tres stood with her.

“I shall accompany you.”

She shook her head.

“Thank you, but no. I need to be alone for a little while. I’ll come by and talk to you later, okay?” She looked up into those brown eyes of his. He slowly nodded.

“Very well. I shall be in my quarters,” he told her and left.

Esther sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

* * *

 

Being alone constituted returning to her room for a while to cry over hurting Abel. She had been right; her world had started to crumble around her like she’d feared. But Tres was still by her side, even now.

With everything that had happened, Esther knew she had the strength to confront Tres. After all, he’d said their kiss was nothing to forgive, which bolstered her confidence.

_‘Perhaps I’ve been misunderstanding him all along…’_

She never did know what to make of him, most of the time. And if she lost Tres as well, her world really would end. There would be nothing left. No Bishop Laura, no Abel, no Tres, no idea where Leon was…

Worst of all, she knew as she was, she wasn’t strong enough to stand alone. That’s one of the reasons she’d joined AX in the first place; she would have something to rely on, as well as giving her the strength to fight back against the evils that had hurt her. It seemed like being in AX had given her everything, but hurt her terribly in the process. She wondered if it was worth it.

 _‘If it gave me Tres to love, then it was,’_ she decided and slipped off her bed to wash her face. She was beginning to feel better.

_‘I trust Abel. He will come back. Or I’ll find him.’_

She felt some of her old fire run through her.

Without letting doubt cloud her heart, she set off for Tres’ quarters.

* * *

 

His door was open, so she poked her head around, reaching out to tap on the door on the far side of the frame.

“Esther, come in,” she heard him say. The room was a little dark, so she felt for the light-switch and flipped it. Tres was sitting on a sofa, looking passive. Esther entered and closed the door behind her. His room was still its usual drab self, which somehow comforted Esther. She realised she hadn’t been in this room since she was sent to Reisfal as she crossed it to sit with Tres.

“We need to talk, Tres.”

“I know.”

“Then if you know, then why have you been avoiding me?” she said, gritting her teeth. He would drive her insane, if he hadn’t already.

“I cannot function properly, effectively anymore,” Tres told her.

“Why am I getting the cold shoulder for it?!” she snapped, getting angry. What had she done that warranted this treatment? After all her worry, all the pain she’d felt because of him…

Tres faced her, gripping her shoulders. Esther was shocked this sudden display, but what surprised her most was the expression on his face. Indifference, a frown here and there, a slight hint of sympathy she had got used to, but this…

“You are causing my efficient performance to decrease. All I think about is you,” he said, eyes burning into hers. He looked so… desperate.

“Tres…”

Her mind cut out. Emotion swelled in her. It was easy to lean forward and kiss him. This time, though, he responded immediately. Before she knew it, he’d pulled her into his arms, sitting down so she was on his lap.

Talking really did get them nowhere most of the time. Esther could get used to this new form of communication…

Gently, she opened her mouth and coaxed him to do the same. The inside of his mouth was dry. Esther guessed androids didn’t really have a need for saliva. It was a strange experience, but one she wouldn’t trade for anything.

Eventually they pulled back, but Esther remained comfortably in his arms. Tres watched her, a hand gently reaching up to run a hand through her hair. Esther beamed at the gesture, just happy to finally understand where this relationship was.

“Even if I was once human, I no longer am. I am neither machine nor man anymore. You must remember this fact,” he solemnly told her.

“I understand, Tres. Look, I know you’re never necessarily going to feel how I feel, that your capacity for emotions may never be on the level of when you were fully human. It doesn’t change how I feel. You’re enough as you are. I won’t expect any more.”

He lightly squeezed her hands, looking slightly troubled.

“Thank you.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, but a question started nagging in the back of Esther’s head. She looked up at him, watching his expression carefully as she caressed his cheek.

“Tres, do you regret all this? Looking into your past… everything?”

“Negative. ‘To not know their true nature… it would be seen as terrible’, that is what you and Abel told me.” Esther’s eyes widened, remembering.

“To broaden one’s experiences is considered a good thing. To remain unchanging limits one. These experiences together have made me more aware than I have ever been. Being unable to understand emotions in my past has proved detrimental. To experience them firsthand is… liberating. The thought of returning to my previous state of ignorance is abhorrent. You have given me this, Esther.”

Esther shook her head with a small smile.

“It was all there already, silly. I guess you just needed a little push. But where does this leave us?”

Tres watched her, his dark eyes roving her face.

“I do not know. But we cannot remain like this for long.”

Esther nodded, slipping her hand into his.

“I know. But for a little while…”

Tres inclined his head as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Esther could scarcely believe she’d be there to see the day. But here she was, safe in his arms. For a little while, at least.


	21. Chapter 21

** Chapter Twenty-One **

Things were bittersweet. They were breaking a lot of regulations by being together. Esther sighed, staring at her ceiling. The room was pitch black; relatively inexperienced agents didn’t get the good rooms, so the moon was blocked from view. She still couldn’t fully believe what had happened was real. The very idea of Tres expressing any emotion when she’d first met him was ludicrous, let alone love.

Their life in AX was in shambles, though. Both Tres and Esther had been suspended from active duty until Caterina decided what to do with them. There had been no word from Abel, and Esther couldn’t help but notice with a sinking heart he’d been struck from the mission logs.

To pass the time, Esther would take walks with Tres, exploring parts of the Vatican grounds she hadn’t time to look at previously. When there was no one around, they would hold hands as they walked. In more private moments, Esther would draw Tres close and they would share a few tantalising kisses before moving on. The last thing the both of them needed was their newly flourishing relationship to get discovered and used against them.

Tres was currently the one light in Esther’s life. It kept her going, pushing through the hardship their actions had brought upon them.

She sensed Tres was getting impatient about being suspended; it was clear although the Vatican was his home, he enjoyed working. At the same time, he didn’t seem annoyed about spending time with her.

 _‘Quite the opposite,’_ she thought with a dreamy smile.

“I hope you’re thinking of me,” a voice said and Esther yelped, head snapping to the source of the comment.

Leon grinned at her and Esther leapt to her feet.

“Leon!” she cried, hugging him tight.

“So you were thinking of me!” he teased and Esther laughed before swatting his arm.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she chastised and Leon chuckled.

“I can’t help myself. How are you? I’ve seen the mission logs. I can’t believe Abel’s been struck off and you and Tres have been put on hold. What on Earth happened, Esther?”

Esther shook her head.

“The story is… too long and classified to say out here,” she said, making Leon’s eyebrow quirk.

“Wow, did the boss lady tell you guys off that badly?”

Esther chuckled half-heartedly.

“Something like that. Let’s go somewhere less open. Where do you think would be best?” she asked and Leon paused and blinked, making Esther’s brow crinkle with concern.

“Sorry. I just had to mentally censor myself,” he said with a smirk and Esther laughed properly, smacking his arm again.

“Yeah, I know – I’m a big pervert who’s way too old for you. You need to make some friends your own age,” he teased and Esther embraced the warmth in her chest buoying her. This way how she was meant to feel.

_‘Like when I get to be alone with Tres… just… happy.’_

“Well I did that once and it didn’t go so well. I think his name was Dietrich von Lohengrin, or something,” she joked and Leon grinned.

“Touché. All right, let’s try the east wing. No-one hangs out in the corridors much,” he suggested and Esther nodded. She didn’t think she’d been in that part of AX and had no idea what was meant to be there.

“All the intelligence geeks are squirreled away there. It used the be called Intel Alley back in the day, but more of their work has fallen to us in recent years. The Rosenkreuz Orden have got more secretive,” he explained and Esther rubbed her arm.

“Was I that obvious?” she asked and Leon gently stroked a stray piece of hair from her cheek, eyes soft and warm.

“Esther, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Even when you don’t want to show how you feel, it’s easy to tell when something’s wrong.” He carried on walking, guiding Esther through the maze of corridors. She suddenly realised something.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you on the Vatican’s grounds.”

Leon nonchalantly shrugged.

“Yeah, well I’m not here much. Last time musta been about three of four months ago.”

Esther was surprised it was that long ago for him, but the look on his face made her decide to leave the questions bubbling in her alone. Leon slowed down, looking around to find the corridor deserted, and sat on a nearby stone slab windowsill. Esther joined him, briefly gripping his arm to pull herself up. Her legs dangled uncomfortably.

“So what brings you here?” she asked.

Leon stretched, muscled arms raised to the ceiling, bones popping in his neck and shoulders. Esther cringed, which made Leon grin.

“I gotta brief respite between missions, ya know? Can’t always be something for me to do. I don’t really like it here, though. I only came because you and Abel would be here. Looks like I missed Abel though, huh?”

Esther bit her lip.

“It’s my fault,” she found herself saying and Leon looked confused.

“What?”

Esther explained what happened, not caring whether Caterina would blow a fuse if she knew she’d told Leon everything that had happened. Leon watched Esther silently as it all poured out of her. By the end she was glad to have it off her chest.

He didn’t speak right away, for which Esther was glad. She needed time to calm down as her mind flickered with her diminishing options in light of current events. Eventually, he lightly gripped her hand, making her turn her gaze on him.

“Esther… this wasn’t your fault. That bastard Dietrich chose the most useful and dangerous piece of information to give to you. He knew you couldn’t keep it from Abel. Dietrich knew it would cause trouble either way, ya know? If you weren’t to tell him, and he found out… well, there’d probably be more than hell to pay and you’d be dropped right in the middle of it. So, this way was for the best.” He gave her hand a pat before letting it go and sliding off the windowsill to pace.

“So you’ve given your heart to a man of metal,” he sighed, making Esther watch worriedly, “I hope for your sake he knows how precious that is.” Their eyes met and her stomach panged at the sight of his sad eyes.

“He’s more human than you could know,” she immediately replied and Leon simply grunted and folded his arms, his gaze sliding off to the side.

“It’s all well and good having a little fun here and there, but proper relationships are punishable in AX. One or both of you could be thrown out.”

Esther rubbed her face.

“I know. Things are a big mess right now and I feel powerless. I don’t know what to do,” she admitted and Leon folded his arms, eyes deadly serious. Leon being serious made Esther pay rapt attention.

“Being in AX for you isn’t a prison sentence. You can leave whenever you like, Esther. Tell Caterina you’re outta here and go find a nice parish, help them out until you get ya head on straight. It’s dangerous to be in the field in this state. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you when you’ve told me all this stuff. These are the warning signs. I got it with Hugue. Man didn’t talk much, but when he did I shoulda heard the alarm bells. Now he pretty much does what he pleases and the boss lady can’t rein him in without probably getting a load of people killed in the process. If she thought any of us were going that way, she will put a stop to it immediately. Boss lady never makes the same mistake twice.”

Esther swallowed and got off the windowsill. His words struck a note in her; a clear, decisive note.

“You’re right. It’s not a prison sentence,” she said, blinking before smiling slightly, “I’ve been looking at this wrong and you just gave me the perspective I needed. Thank you, Leon. Lately I’ve been feeling like AX is a weight around my neck dragging me down. That I couldn’t leave without forsaking it forever. And that’s not what I want. I love the people here, I always want to do so much better, be more useful, more dangerous – whatever I need to be to succeed. That’s what’s made these past missions weigh so heavily; the feeling of failure, of inadequacy. I need time to get better, to ‘get my head on straight’, I guess. Do you think Lady Caterina will listen?”

Leon approached and pulled her into a hug.

“Like I said – boss lady never makes the same mistake twice.”

* * *

 

Life was hard. It was weird to think she hadn’t understood this properly until now. Things didn’t always go your way. You couldn’t always have your cake and eat it. Sacrifices needed to be made. But Esther still had hope that in the end, perhaps things could be better, even if it hurt right then.

She stood outside Tres’ quarters, unable to summon the courage to knock, let alone simply walk in. Sacrifice. Her chest felt tight at the thought of Tres’ expression as she explained herself. The words she planned to say wound around her mind like a long mantra.

_‘I wonder if he can sense me outside the door?’_

She seriously hoped not.

Whatever the case, it galvanised her into lightly tapping on the door. There was a pause before it opened to reveal Tres, but Esther got the paranoid feeling he’d been waiting and really wasn’t good at deception, acting programs be damned.

“Esther,” he greeted, stepping back to let her pass. His dark eyes glinted with that look that Esther treasured more than anything as she walked by him. He closed the door and Esther immediately nestled in his arms, desperate to feel his warmth, his arms slide around her, experimentally brushing her waist.

“Are you all right?” he asked, studying her carefully. Esther wondered what conclusions he drew, but decided not to ask. Instead she led him to his sofa and sat down. His hand, as ever, was slightly warmer than a human. It was comforting, so she couldn’t bear to let go as he sat beside her quizzically.

“I need to talk to you. About what I plan to do, since… everything. With us, with Abel, Caterina and AX.”

He sat patiently, but Esther couldn’t help but notice how his eyes were fixed in her direction.

“I can’t in good conscience remain a nun anymore,” she said, her brows bowing with sorrow, “I… I don’t know what I want to be. I was raised a nun, so I just always believed it would be that way. Even when I met Dietrich and we spent time together, in some ways I didn’t take it too seriously. It wasn’t until… all the trouble with the Star of Sorrow, and Bishop Laura… and Abel that I began to realise my life wasn’t going to be easy. That perhaps I couldn’t remain a simple nun, even if I wanted to.”

Esther looked down at her feet, her heart pounding. She’d never dared to voice these fears she’d been having for so long. Her feelings for Tres were what pushed her into finally confronting them. Tres simply watched her, silently but carefully. Esther drew in a breath, squeezing his hand for reassurance.

“So, I’m going to speak to Lady Caterina. I’m going to tell her why I don’t think I can remain with the Vatican anymore. I won’t mention you, though, Tres. I don’t want to get you into trouble on my account. I just need time to think about what I want to do, gain experience. AX hasn’t suited me right now, though I enjoy helping people. And I met you, Abel, Leon, William, and Kate… so many kind people. It doesn’t mean I’ll be gone forever. I’m going to come back when I’m prepared and capable. This all happened so quickly, I got lost in the adventure, the joy and the pain of it all. And really, I could have done much better. I think I could have maybe even brought Dietrich in. There’s no point going on about what ifs, though, is there? It’s done now. But if I didn’t learn from all that’s happened, Tres, I wouldn’t forgive myself. Understand?”

Tres stiffly nodded. She could see how tense he was, as if he already knew what she was about to say.

“I’m going alone, Tres. I can’t take you away from this place. This is your home, where you’re most comfortable. I loved my church and I never thought I’d leave it. But when everything I loved had been taken away, it wasn’t a home anymore. I hope one day this place will truly feel like home; that I’ll feel that way again about somewhere.”

She sniffed, blinking in an attempt to prevent herself from crying. Her throat was constricted but she held herself together. She couldn’t bring herself to pull him away from this place, his sanctuary. She couldn’t tell him that he was her home now, that she loved him and wanted them to go away together. Tres kept staring at her and it was breaking her heart the look he was giving her. She’d never believed he could ever look at her like that.

“Look, it’s okay,” Esther said with a smile, caressing Tres’ cheek, “I don’t want you to follow me because you feel you have to. You’ve given me something… I can’t even put it into words. You’ve helped to set my mind straight, to make me realise what’s important and what I need to do. For a long time I thought I didn’t belong here, that I’d been carried off into AX. But I understand that the people I’ve met in AX have never told me I don’t belong here, or that I’m not good enough. I realise that they’re sure I’m AX material. It was just me who didn’t understand that the skills are in here, they’re just not quite ready to be put to good use. Now that I know that, I know that this is how it’s got to be. I won’t be gone forever – I will return, I promise.”

“I understand,” he replied, standing. Esther heart sunk when she realised Tres’ face betrayed nothing, but by doing so said everything to her.

“Tres… I love you.”

He closed his eyes. A hand brushed his chest and he took hold of it, gently holding it in place over where his heart should have been. But he was simply a shell for wires and machinery. It was no place for these foreign emotions.

The hand slipped out of his grasp and he remained still, even as he heard her walk away.

“Goodbye, Esther,” he said and the door clicked shut.

* * *

 

Esther slept badly, but she expected it after her talk with Tres. She wasn’t angry; she was certain she understood a lot of Tres and his inability to communicate at times. He was still learning, still dealing with everything she’d brought up to do with his origins. She couldn’t expect him to suddenly become human before her, though she couldn’t pretend how wonderful it would be. Patience eluded her at times.

The fact she was sitting outside Caterina’s office at practically the crack of dawn was a testament to this. It was another hour before she was allowed in. Esther entered as confidently as she could. Once she’d set her mind, nothing was going to change it now. Caterina sat at her desk, unmoved by Esther’s appearance.

“I am informed you wish to speak to me about something important,” Caterina said as Esther drew closer.

Esther nodded, desperately trying not to wring her hands.

“Our last mission was a disaster. And I have picked apart everything I have done with AX, every decision, every reaction,” she said, her mind briefly flitting through all the various disasters. Methuselah trying to kill her, Dietrich’s torments, Abel’s reaction to Dietrich’s ‘help’.

“And I presume you have come to a conclusion?” Caterina questioned, though Esther could tell from her expression she knew perfectly well she had. Esther took a deep breath before launching into the details of her plan.

“I realise that I’m not ready to stay in AX. I have some things to do first, some growing up to do. When I’m ready, I’ll return to you, Lady Caterina, a proper member of AX. Then I promise you can do what you want with me.”

Caterina’s eyes bored into Esther, but she remained calm.

“You think you will benefit AX in the long run then, by taking this leave?” Caterina asked and Esther nodded.

“I’m promising you my life, Lady Caterina. All I’m asking is a free reign to become what I need to be to serve AX to the best of my ability. It’s no good being skilled if mentally I feel ready to break. I need to strengthen that mental fortitude otherwise I’m just dead weight. I want to be controlled, precise.”

 _‘And happy,’_ she mentally added with a soft sigh.

Caterina was silent for an unnerving amount of time. She stood, walking to stare out of the window. Esther had begun to think Caterina had forgotten she was there until she turned to look at her.

“AX was built to safeguard the Pope and his people. Many who come to us do so out of necessity. The few who dedicate themselves wholly to this cause have always stood out and become important members of this unit. Abel is one such individual, though he has a few tricks most of us don’t. And Tres was another. I know you are responsible for turning his head from here,” Esther opened her mouth to try and protect Tres, but Caterina raised a hand, “I know you did not mean to, but the damage is already done and out of my control. But I believe this promise you have given me will allow you both to perform to the best of your abilities and gift AX with two agents unsurpassed in time. I will grant your request, Esther Blanchett, but in return you must swear to be gone no longer than two years. You may redress this issue in two years time. You know I must have you brought in if you don’t comply.”

Esther smiled regardless of the warning.

“I understand, Lady Caterina, and accept your conditions.”

Caterina gave a slight smile, her harsh gaze softening. Esther couldn’t help but notice how sad she looked.

“Then go, Sister Esther Blanchett, and may the Lord bless you and keep you.”

Esther inclined her head and left, her heart finally feeling free.

* * *

 

She had spent the last several hours walking around AX’s grounds almost five times, exploring pathways she’d never even walked down. It was strange; she’d never spent enough time there to even know where everything was, but it was still going to be a loss when she left. It was one of the few places Esther felt peace.

_‘I wonder what Tres is doing?’_

Esther’s stomach clenched. She still wasn’t sure if their last conversation counted as a goodbye. If it didn’t, she knew she didn’t have the strength to face him before she left. Perhaps that was the real reason she was still wandering the grounds even as the sun had begun to set.

_‘It’s time to go.’_

She returned to her room. Her bag was already packed. Her worldly possessions fit into a medium sized backpack. She hadn’t time to exactly put down roots in AX.

Her room didn’t feel empty without her things. Esther peered out of the window. It really was a terrible view, which made her smile a little. Well, at least that was one thing she wouldn’t miss. She picked her bag up and left the room, locking the door and leaving the key with the woman who managed to female dormitory before heading for the entrance. The archway faced west, so the land stretched out before her was soaked in orange and gold.

_‘I’ll be back AX, just you wait. Better than now.’_

She swallowed and started to walk.

“Esther, wait.”

She immediately spun around, heart pounding. She’d been committed and everything!

“Tres,” Esther breathed, eyes wide.

Tres walked over to her, case in hand.

“Where shall we go?”

Esther just threw her arms around him, tears blurring her vision.

“You stupid, stupid man,” she cried.

“Why are you crying?” he asked.

“I… I was so ready to leave you here, to go it alone. And now you’re here and my resolve crumbled into nothing. Some mental fortitude I’ve got.”

“You do not need to be alone. I will be with you,” he told her and Esther gripped him tighter. How could such simple words do this to her? It didn’t matter anymore.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his shoulder. She could feel his warm steady hands carefully rubbing her back and she pulled back with a teary smile.

“What did you say?” She couldn’t imagine Caterina had wanted Tres to leave as well.

“I told them I wanted to accompany you and that I loved you. I offered to keep you safe until you returned, but Lady Caterina was not in a position to talk. She looked angry,” he explained and Esther smiled.

“You love me?” she questioned and he brushed her cheek with a finger.

“Affirmative.”

Esther chuckled. He really did have a sense of humour when he wanted to. She pulled her satchel over her shoulders, tightening the straps.

“AX is losing some of its best members. You and Abel are out of her control. I used to think she set these missions to mess us about, but I understand how important maintaining AX and the safety of humans is. It’s not a game to her, and if she has to send us through hell, she will if it gets things done. I was so angry at her sometimes, when none of this has been personal. It’s those childish ways of looking at things that made me realise I had to go away for a while and grow up. I’m glad you’re coming with me. I… don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You would have been fine, Esther. You are stronger than you think you are,” he told her. Esther smiled, wrapping an arm around his.

“You really think so?”

He nodded.

“Of course. I wouldn’t have been interested, otherwise.”

Her eyes widened.

“And it all comes out now! So you were interested in me! How far back?!” she questioned as they left the Vatican and set out on their new journey together.

“I am not permitted to tell you such things,” he replied and she lightly smacked his arm.

“You liar! I want to know!”

He smiled at her and her heart fluttered. His face was illuminated by the setting sun, giving his eyes a warm hue.

“It may have started on a train, though I cannot be precise where these changes in me began…”

Esther grinned at his expression. He really was becoming more human with each passing day. It gave her hope for their future.

“You’re such a liar. It’s totally where this all began. But the fact you’re trying to hide it makes you kind of sweet, so I forgive you. Come on, before AX decide they want us back whether we like it or not.”

Tres nodded.

“Do you think we could keep an eye out for Abel?” she asked.

“Of course,” he replied and Esther beamed.

They walked, arm in arm, towards the horizon. As they did, Esther just knew they were at the start of something strange and wonderful.


	22. Epilogue

** Epilogue **

Esther’s eyes opened when the morning sun’s rays hit the bed. Those precious two years gifted to them by Lady Caterina were almost gone. Soon they would have to return to AX. But it didn’t feel like a burden – she couldn’t wait to show AX what she and Tres had become.

She shuffled so she faced the other way and looked at Tres, whose eyes were closed. He was in repose beside her, a hand loosely wrapped around her. Sleeping was something that came after half a year. He’d spent so long analysing and rerouting pathways within, bypassing all the protocols built into him. Now many of his processes ran through the part of his brain they’d put inside this robotic form. And in recent times, Tres had spoken of dreams he’d had, though from what he recounted, it sounded like he was finally tapping into his lost memories from when he was human.

Esther lightly brushed hair from Tres’ face, watching how the morning light played along his skin, and he opened his eyes.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

“Good morning, Esther.” His hand tightened around hers, drawing her closer to him and she smiled. She decided to answer his questioning look, realising her pensiveness must have begun to show.

“I was thinking about returning to the Vatican,” she said, “Did you dream again?”

He lightly shook his head.

“Not tonight. We still have another forty-one days until the terms of our agreement with Lady Caterina are broken,” he said, pulling Esther even closer so he could tuck his head over her shoulder and kiss her neck, “so there are still many other things we can do until then.”

A smile curved onto Esther’s lips.

“Tres…”

Life had been good to them. Esther never would have believed back when they first left AX to travel together there would come a day where Tres would make the first move. She could no longer profess herself a nun, that’s for sure.

Tres ran a hand through Esther’s now shoulder-length hair before kissing her. He was slow and thorough, making Esther’s toes curl with pleasure.

“If I wasn’t fully awake before, I am now,” Esther said with a smile.

A lot had changed in two years. Esther knew they would return a formidable pair. She was confident in herself and her abilities; and although Tres’ humanisation would appear as weakness to many, she knew he was stronger and surer of himself than anyone could imagine. He was capable of utilising both halves of himself – man and machine – instead of having one hidden away like a shameful secret. He was a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Albion Army and a Killing Doll. Those things could not be changed anymore than Esther could will herself taller. Esther was positive Lady Caterina’s prediction they would return and become unsurpassed agents would come true.

The future looked bright and hopeful. Any wrongs could be righted in time. Even if the reports she and Tres would get periodically of Abel apparently tearing the Rosenkreuz Orden down one by one, presumably to reach the elusive Cain, Esther was impassioned – she would put things right. She would bring Abel home, help destroy the Rosenkreuz Orden once and for all, make Lady Caterina and AX proud. She knew herself and her capabilities, which had expanded exponentially since she’d left AX.

“Will we even be recognisable?” Esther wondered and Tres caressed her cheek with a soft expression on his face.

“We will always be ourselves. Perhaps we are _more_ ourselves than we were before.”

A smirk pulled at Esther’s lips. Her hand rested on his chest and she enjoyed the feel of his synthetic skin and warmth under her palm.

“That’s probably the dumbest and least robotic thing I’ve ever heard you say, and I’ve heard you say some pretty weird stuff in the last few years,” she chuckled and Tres blinked, “but I like it. Well, shall we get up and be _more_ ourselves elsewhere?”

Tres reluctantly got out of bed, but swiftly turned and pulled Esther out by the ankles, making her shriek indignantly. She ended up in his arms, held close and laughing.

“You jerk!” she shouted, but couldn’t keep a straight face as she lightly hit his chest.

He gave her a smile that both melted her heart and filled it with warmth.

 _‘He really always has had a gift for pulling me in multiple directions,’_ she thought as she got on her tiptoes to peck Tres on the lips.

Without a word, he took her hand and they headed to the shower together.

 _‘Yep, today’s going to be another great day,’_ Esther decided.

And now she was sure Tres would agree with such sentiments.

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this! I hope you enjoyed the ride! Until next time!


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